The Eiffel Tower reopened on Tuesday after staff walked out in protest over the removal and sidelining of female employees during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation, bringing a one-day closure of the Paris landmark to an end.
The dispute followed a Saturday visit by about 100 members of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, known as BAPS. Staff representatives said female workers were instructed to leave some posts, were replaced by men in certain positions and were told not to cross particular areas while the delegation was present.
The Eiffel Tower's operating company, Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), acknowledged that the delegation had requested arrangements limiting “interactions with women.” The company said the conditions should not have been accepted and were inconsistent with its values and principles of equality between men and women.
BAPS later apologised for any pain or inconvenience caused. The organisation said the visit had been arranged with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal operating hours because of the size of the delegation and to minimise disruption. It also said that, to its knowledge, nobody had been prevented from accessing the monument.
The staff protest quickly became a wider political issue in France. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said an investigation would be launched, while National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet condemned the reported treatment of the women and said welcoming visitors should not require France to abandon its principles on women's participation in public life.
The delegation's visit coincided with events surrounding the inauguration of a major BAPS Hindu temple near Paris. French officials stressed that religious or cultural preferences should not override France's equality principles.
The Eiffel Tower held discussions between management and employees before reopening. The immediate closure has now ended, but the investigation is expected to establish who approved the controversial arrangements, how the instructions were implemented and what measures should prevent a repeat.
The episode has therefore developed beyond a temporary workplace dispute. It has raised questions about how major public attractions should accommodate religious and cultural requests without compromising employees' rights or France's legal and social commitment to gender equality.
The reopening restores normal tourist operations at one of the world's most visited landmarks, but the controversy remains unresolved pending the outcome of the investigation.
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