Eiffel Tower staff strike after female workers allegedly excluded for religious visitors
Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
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Under investigation
- Eiffel Tower employees walked off the job after reports that female staff had been withdrawn during a Hindu group’s visit to the monument’s third floor.
- The tower remained closed throughout the day, while its website cited operational reasons for the closure.
- Paris officials condemned any gender-based discrimination and called for an investigation; the operating company acknowledged that it had made a wrong decision.
The Eiffel Tower remained closed for a full day after employees went on strike over reports that female staff had been removed during a religious group’s visit.
Le Parisien, citing employees, reported that around 100 members of a Hindu religious community asked for female personnel to be withdrawn while they visited the tower’s third floor on Saturday. The group was accompanied exclusively by male staff. The Eiffel Tower’s website described the closure as the result of “operational reasons.”
Gender equality will never end at the foot of our historic monuments, nor anywhere else in this city. It must apply everywhere, to everyone.
The incident triggered outrage in Paris. Emmanuel Grégoire, the city’s deputy mayor, expressed understanding for the protest and said he would launch an investigation as soon as possible. “Gender equality will never end at the foot of our historic monuments, nor anywhere else in this city. It must apply everywhere, to everyone,” he said.
No religious reason can justify distinguishing on the basis of gender or any other discriminatory practice in receiving visitors. What is needed now is clarity.
Ariel Weil, mayor of Paris’s central district and president of the Eiffel Tower’s operating company, also defended the employees’ reaction. “No religious reason can justify distinguishing on the basis of gender or any other discriminatory practice in receiving visitors. What is needed now is clarity,” he wrote on X.
Regional President Valérie Pécresse said she was shocked that a Hindu delegation, including religious figures, had asked for female employees to be excluded from its organized tour. Former Prime Minister Michel Barnier demanded an explanation from the operator, saying women in France are not hidden or excluded from public spaces. The company acknowledged in a statement that it had made a wrong decision, while the reopening time initially remained unclear.
Women are not hidden. They are not excluded. They are respected and their freedom is defended.
About this summary
Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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