Eiffel Tower Strike Over Sidelined Female Staff

The Eiffel Tower was closed on Monday after employees staged a walkout over the treatment of female staff during a visit by roughly 100 people associated with the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a Hindu religious movement. The group had travelled to Paris after inaugurating a new temple in France over the weekend. According to Diane Davoine, a union representative, female Eiffel Tower workers were moved away from their workstations as the delegation passed through the landmark. Employees later condemned what they described as instructions that sidelined, replaced and effectively made women invisible because of their sex. SETE, the company operating the Eiffel Tower, acknowledged that the delegation had requested arrangements limiting interactions with women, but said those conditions should not have been accepted. The BAPS Hindu temple in Paris apologised for any pain or inconvenience caused. It said the large visit had been coordinated with Eiffel Tower staff at the beginning of normal opening hours to avoid disrupting other visitors. The organisation said that, to its knowledge, nobody had been denied access to the monument and reaffirmed its commitment to mutual respect and service. French political figures condemned the incident. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire called the arrangement unacceptable and announced an investigation. National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet said welcoming foreign visitors must not require France to abandon its values, stressing that women should remain fully present in public life. The Eiffel Tower’s website described the closure as resulting from exceptional circumstances and advised ticket holders to check their emails. The episode has prompted a broader debate about gender equality, workplace dignity and the limits of accommodating religious or cultural requests in public institutions.

The Eiffel Tower was closed on Monday after staff went on strike over the removal of female employees during a visit by a Hindu religious group, according to workers and management. The dispute concerns the treatment of women staff members in connection with the group’s visit, although the brief report does not provide details about who ordered the removals, the reason given for them, or the number of employees affected. The action disrupted access to one of France’s most prominent tourist attractions and placed questions of workplace equality, religious accommodation, and discrimination at the center of the dispute. France 24 reports the closure in a short video presented by journalist Monte Francis. The item identifies Paris, the Eiffel Tower, religion, tourism, women’s rights, and discrimination as key themes. It does not include statements from representatives of the Hindu group, the employees involved, government officials, or the organization operating the Eiffel Tower beyond the general confirmation attributed to workers and management. It also does not specify how long the strike lasted or when the monument would reopen. The report follows a religious event in Paris that included Hindu monks participating in a ceremony near the Eiffel Tower and a ceremonial procession on the Seine on September 3, 2026. The closure was reported on September 7, 2026. Based on the available text, the article’s primary purpose is to inform readers about the labor action and the controversy surrounding the alleged removal of female staff during the religious group’s visit, rather than to offer a detailed investigation or advocate a particular position.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris closed for the entire day on Monday after employees went on strike to protest the treatment of female staff during a private visit by a Hindu delegation. Staff members and management said female employees were sidelined, replaced by men, or instructed to avoid certain areas while the delegation was present. The CGT trade union described the workplace instructions as discriminatory and said women had been made “invisible” because of their gender. The tower’s operating company, Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), acknowledged that the delegation had requested arrangements intended to limit interactions with women. SETE said it should not have accepted those conditions because they conflicted with the company’s values and with principles of equality between men and women. Its president, Ariel Weil, promised an investigation and said the company would draw the necessary conclusions. The visit took place alongside a cultural boat procession on the Seine organized by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a Hindu spiritual movement linked to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling conservative Hindu nationalist party. BAPS had consecrated its first major temple in France near Paris the previous day. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire supported the strike, calling the exclusion of female workers unacceptable. Equality Minister Aurore Bergé said no religion or dogma could override French law or require women to erase themselves. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen and former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, both associated with the next presidential race, also condemned any attempt to limit women’s presence or dictate their place in France. The Eiffel Tower, which receives nearly seven million visitors annually, was expected to reopen normally on Tuesday. The incident has prompted a wider debate in France about gender equality, religious accommodation, workplace discrimination and the limits of private requests at a major public landmark.

The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors after employees staged a walkout over allegations that female staff members were moved away from their workstations during a visit by approximately 100 people associated with the BAPS Hindu movement. The delegation had visited the Paris landmark after BAPS inaugurated a major Hindu temple in France. Union representative Diane Davoine said female employees were sidelined as the delegation passed through. Staff condemned the alleged instructions as discriminatory, saying women had been “sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex.” The Eiffel Tower’s operator, SETE, acknowledged that the delegation had requested arrangements limiting interactions with women, but said those conditions should never have been accepted. It described the closure as resulting from “exceptional circumstances.” The BAPS temple in Paris said it took the concerns seriously and apologized for any pain or inconvenience caused. It said the visit was arranged with the Eiffel Tower team at the beginning of normal opening hours because of the delegation’s size and to avoid disrupting others. The organization also said that, to its knowledge, nobody had been denied access to the attraction and reaffirmed its commitment to mutual respect and service. Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire called the arrangements unacceptable and said an investigation would be launched. National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet also condemned the incident, arguing that welcoming foreign visitors should not require France to compromise its commitment to women’s equal participation in public life. The controversy occurred shortly after BAPS inaugurated its first major Hindu temple in France. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the inauguration and described India-France relations as a special global strategic partnership grounded in longstanding cultural and political ties, saying he hoped the temple would symbolize cooperation between the two countries.