The Eiffel Tower was closed on the 7th of Setember after workers at the site staged a protest after women were forced to leave their workplaces during a visit by a Hindu religious group, the BBC reports.
Around 100 people associated with the Hindu religious group BABS visited the Paris landmark on Saturday, the 5th of September. Diane Davoine, a representative of the workers’ union, said that the women had to leave their workplaces when the visitors arrived and were replaced by men. She added that management had since apologised to the workers for the incident, but that it was clearly not a good incident and that the Eiffel Tower workers had been humiliated.
Davoine said tensions had been building over the weekend and that the workers had decided to meet on the 7th of September. Firstly, to initiate a dialogue with management, and secondly, to ensure that the company never treats its female employees in this way again.
The Eiffel Tower operator, Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE), confirmed that the guests had requested that the visit be organised in a way that would limit contact with women. The company said such rules should not have been adopted, adding that they were not in line with SETE’s values or the principles of equality between men and women.
SETE President Ariel Weil said that this was not an acceptable practice
and stressed that the company respects the values of the republic and equality between men and women.
The religious group BAPS dedicated its first large temple in France on September 6 in a suburb of Paris. In a statement on the X, the BAPS Paris Temple said that the visit had been coordinated with the Eiffel Tower team and took place at the beginning of working hours so as not to inconvenience others. BAPS apologized for the pain and inconvenience caused, adding that it believes in the shared values of mutual respect.
On its website, the religious group describes itself as a spiritual, volunteer-based community dedicated to improving society through Hindu values.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said an investigation would be conducted into the circumstances of the visit. He said he understood the anger of the Eiffel Tower staff and wanted to say that their dissatisfaction was justified. Grégoire said that equality between men and women does not stop at the entrance to historical monuments, nor anywhere else in the city – it applies to everyone, everywhere.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen stressed that France would never accept restrictions on women’s presence, while former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that in France, no culture, no belief, no worship, nothing and no one can dictate their place to women.
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