Eiffel Tower shut amid staff protest after women workers told to ‘step out of sight’ during Hindu group’s visit

The iconic Eiffel Tower was closed on Monday after staff went on strike following an instruction for female employees to “step out of sight” during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation over the weekend. The incident also triggered a political storm, with several politicians criticising the controversial advisory.

According to reports, a delegation of about 100 people linked to the Hindu group Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) made a private visit to the Eiffel Tower on Saturday. As the delegation passed through, female staff members were allegedly asked to leave their workstations so that male employees could take their places.

On Monday, the employees held a meeting to discuss the incident and decided to go on strike.

SETE, the company that operates and manages the site, acknowledged that the delegation had requested that the visit be arranged with limited interaction with female employees.

“Instructions were given to female employees of the Eiffel Tower and to female employees of contractors to make themselves invisible in order to welcome this delegation,” SETE said in a statement.

Some female employees were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. At some posts, they were replaced by male employees. All female employees were also instructed not to enter or cross certain areas while the delegation was present, SETE said.

‘Not in line with principle of equality’

SETE President Ariel Weil said such conditions should not have been accepted because they were not in line with the company’s values or France’s principle of equality.

“I restate the Eiffel Tower’s commitment to republican values and to the equality of men and women,” he said.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire has ordered an investigation into the incident, saying he was aware of the employees’ anger and agreed that their dissatisfaction was legitimate.

“It is urgent that all light be shed on the facts that led to this protest,” Grégoire wrote.

BAPS apologises

The BAPS delegation was in France to attend festivities related to the inauguration of a Hindu temple in the Paris suburbs. In a statement, the group said its visit to the Eiffel Tower had been arranged at the start of opening hours to avoid disrupting other visitors because of the size of the delegation.

“To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented from accessing the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, we sincerely apologise for any pain or inconvenience caused,” it said.