Eiffel Tower Reopens After Employee Walkout Over Gender Restrictions During Hindu Delegation Visit
Parisian landmark operations resume following labor negotiations sparked by the sidelining of female staff.
The Eiffel Tower reopened on Tuesday, Sept. 8, welcoming visitors through security checkpoints at its base after a one-day shutdown triggered by a staff strike. According to Al Jazeera, employees walked off the job on Monday, Sept. 7, protesting management instructions that sidelined female workers during a private visit by a Hindu spiritual delegation.
Management Acknowledges Missteps as Monument Resumes Normal Operations
The operating company that runs the Paris landmark, SETE, acknowledged that the visiting group had requested the Saturday tour be organized to limit interactions with women. SETE admitted that these conditions should not have been accepted
. The monument, which typically draws nearly seven million people a year, resumed normal ticketing and security procedures on Tuesday morning following talks between staff and management on Monday.
Workers expressed outrage over the directives they received during the visit. In a collective statement, staff condemned professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex
.
Inside the Sidelining of Female Staff and Contractors
The logistical accommodations made for the spiritual group directly impacted both Eiffel Tower employees and female workers employed by outside contractors. Instructions required women to make themselves invisible to welcome the delegation.
Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas,
staff stated, detailing how female personnel were swapped out for men at specific posts. Furthermore, WRAL noted that all female employees were explicitly instructed not to cross certain areas while the delegation was present on the grounds.
Spiritual Movement Issues Apology Amid Political Backlash
The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement issued a public apology on the social media platform X, expressing regret for any pain or inconvenience caused
by the incident. BAPS stated that the visit was arranged in conjunction with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal operating hours to avoid disrupting others, adding that to their knowledge, no one was prevented access to the tower.
The controversy coincided with the opening of a major BAPS temple near Paris on Sunday, Sept. 6, consecrated by 93-year-old spiritual leader Mahant Swami Maharaj. BAPS maintains close ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling conservative Hindu nationalist party and operates a network of more than 1,300 temples worldwide.
The incident ignited condemnation from French political figures. Gender Equality Minister Aurore Berge voiced strong indignation, declaring, In France, we do not ask women to erase themselves.
Presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 election also weighed in. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen criticized the event by stating France would never accept that women’s presence be ‘limited’
. Centrist rival Gabriel Attal added, In France, no culture, no belief, no religion, nothing and no one can come and dictate to women what their place should be.
