Eiffel Tower shut down as female staff strike over Hindu group's no-women request

Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower was forced to shut down temporarily on Monday after female staff walked out in protest against a management decision to remove them from duty during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation. The strike followed a visit on Saturday by around 100 members associated with the Gujarat-based BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha), a Hindu socio-spiritual organisation.

According to reports, the delegation requested no visual contact with female staff. BAPS monks follow an extremely strict celibacy rule and do not interact with women at all. In response to the monks' request, Eiffel Tower management accommodated it by replacing female employees along the group's designated path with male colleagues.

Backlash and political outrage
The female employees condemned the decision as highly discriminatory and an affront to gender equality. This led to a lightning strike that brought operations at the iconic Parisian landmark to a halt. In response to the growing anger, the Eiffel Tower operating company, SETE, issued an apology and invited the staff for discussions.

The incident has sparked outrage among French political figures. Paris Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire ordered an investigation into the matter, expressing his strong support for the striking workers.

In a post on social media platform X, Gregoire wrote that accommodating such demands was "completely unjustifiable" and flew in the face of the values that Paris and the Eiffel Tower stand for. He stressed that everyone, regardless of gender, must be allowed to work and travel without facing discrimination, asserting that gender equality must be upheld across Paris, particularly at its most symbolic historic monuments.

Responses from SETE and BAPS
The Eiffel Tower operating company, SETE, acknowledged that the delegation had indeed requested to limit contact with women during their visit. Meanwhile, the BAPS group defended the visit, stating it was fully coordinated with tower authorities to ensure a smooth flow of visitors.

In a statement shared on X, representatives of the Hindu organisation explained that the tour was scheduled early in the morning to coincide with opening hours and avoid inconveniencing the public. They added that they were unaware of any other visitors being denied access to the monument during their time there. The delegation was in the French capital to attend events linked to the opening of a new Hindu temple in Paris.

Eiffel Tower open on Tuesday
The Eiffel Tower, which welcomes nearly seven million visitors a year according to its website, was closed all day on Monday. It will open as normal on Tuesday, according to a staff representative. For more details, visit the website.