Eiffel Tower reopens after row over sidelining women staff

The Eiffel Tower reopened Tuesday after a staff walkout over instructions that removed female employees from parts of the landmark during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation.

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these conditions should not have been accepted

The operator, SETE, acknowledged that the delegation had requested arrangements limiting its interactions with women. It said, "these conditions should not have been accepted". The tower closed on Monday while management and staff met, then reopened with visitors passing through security checkpoints at its base.

Employees said female tower workers and female contractors had been told to make themselves invisible while the delegation was present. Some were asked to leave their posts, while men replaced women in some positions. Staff condemned the instructions as professional measures that sidelined women because of their sex and said they were shocked to have been placed in that situation.

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any pain or inconvenience caused

The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, apologised for "any pain or inconvenience caused". The organisation said the large delegation's visit had been arranged with the tower team at the start of normal operating hours to avoid disrupting other visitors, adding, "To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower."

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To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower.

The dispute came shortly after BAPS opened its first major temple in France, near Paris. France's gender equality minister Aurore Bergé said, "In France, we do not ask women to erase themselves." Presidential candidates Marine Le Pen and Gabriel Attal also criticised the incident, with Le Pen saying France would never accept limits on women's presence.

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In France, we do not ask women to erase themselves.