Eiffel Tower workers protest after female staff were removed during Hindu delegation visit

A private visit by a Hindu delegation to the Eiffel Tower has triggered a staff protest after female employees were reportedly asked to leave their workstations as the group passed through.

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As the delegation passed through, women were asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places.

The delegation, numbering about 100 people, visited the monument on Saturday. It was linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, and was in France for events connected to the inauguration of a Hindu temple in the Paris suburbs.

“As the delegation passed through, women were asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places,” Diane Davoine, a union representative, told Reuters. She said tensions grew over the weekend and employees met on Monday to open talks with management and ensure women would not be treated that way again. The Eiffel Tower closed late that day while workers held the meeting.

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It is urgent that all light be shed on the facts that led to this protest.

Davoine said management apologized to staff. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said the city would launch an investigation “as soon as possible,” adding that employees’ anger and dissatisfaction were legitimate. National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet wrote that welcoming others must not mean abandoning French values, saying, “In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible.”

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Welcoming others never means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible.

BAPS said the visit had been scheduled at the start of opening hours to avoid disruption because of the delegation’s size. “To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, we sincerely apologize for any pain or inconvenience caused,” the organization said. The company operating the monument did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, we sincerely apologize for any pain or inconvenience caused.