Eiffel Tower row: BAPS visit sparks staff protest over sidelining of women; monument reopens

The Eiffel Tower reopened on Tuesday after staff walked out over the removal of women employees during a visit by a Hindu religious group which later apologised for any pain or inconvenience causedAccording to news agency AFP visitors were passing through security checkpoints at the foot of the tower shortly before 930 am local time on Tuesday The Eiffel Towers website also said the iconic monument was open todayA controversy erupted in Paris after female Eiffel Tower staff were allegedly asked to step aside during a private visit by around 100 members of BAPS Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha a Hindu organisation The delegation was in France for events linked tohellip pictwittercombf3AMRqYEEmdash Mid Day mid_day September 8 2026The protest followed a private visit on September 5 by around 100 people linked to BAPS Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha a Hindu organisation who were in France for celebrations surrounding the inauguration of a temple in the Paris suburbsDiane Davoine a union representative told French television that female workers had been moved away from their workstations as the delegation passed by during the visitEiffel Tower employees condemned what they described as professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined replaced and made invisible because of their sexSETE the company that runs the Eiffel Tower acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested that the visit be organised to limit interactions with women adding that these conditions should not have been acceptedBAPS apologises says no one was denied access to Eiffel TowerThe BAPS Hindu temple in Paris said the private visit had been coordinated with the Eiffel Towers management and scheduled at the beginning of regular opening hours to minimise inconvenience to other visitorsIn a statement on social media platform X BAPS said access to the Eiffel Tower was never denied to anyone and offered its sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by the situationNous comprenons les preacuteoccupations exprimeacutees et les prenons tregraves au seacuterieuxCompte tenu de la taille de notre deacuteleacutegation la visite a eacuteteacute organiseacutee en coordination avec les eacutequipes de la tour Eiffel au deacutebut des horaires habituels drsquoouverture afin de limiter autant quehellip pictwittercomgyiwzmh6Jvmdash BAPS Mandir Swaminarayan Hindou de Paris BAPSParis September 7 2026We understand the concerns expressed and take them very seriously Given the size of our delegation the visit was organised in coordination with the Eiffel Tower teams at the start of normal opening hours to limit as much as possible any disruption for other visitors the statement said addingTo our knowledge at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone Nevertheless we wish to offer our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situationWe are deeply committed to the universal values of mutual respect and service to others We respect the concerns raised and take them very seriously it further readThe incident drew criticism from senior French politiciansParis Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said an investigation would be launched as soon as possibleEiffel Tower row French leaders condemn removal of women employeesIn a post on X he said I am taking note of the anger expressed by the employees of the Eiffel Tower and I want to tell them that their discontent is legitimateIt is urgent that all light be shed on the facts that led to this protest Gregoire wroteJe prends connaissance du mouvement de colegravere des salarieacutemiddotes de la tour Eiffel et je veux leur dire que leur meacutecontentement est leacutegitimeIl nrsquoest pas acceptable que de telles conditions puissent ecirctre toleacutereacutees Ce ne sont ni mes valeurs ni celles que doit porter la tour Eiffelhellip httpstco3srttJpxPomdash Emmanuel Greacutegoire egregoire September 7 2026In another post he said it was unacceptable that such conditions had been agreed toThese are not my values nor are they the values that the Eiffel Tower should uphold where everyone must be able to move about and act freely without distinction between women and men he wroteFrench equality minister Aurore Berge also reacted on X saying In France we do not ask women to erase themselves No dogma no religion is above the laws of the RepublicCriticising the incident farright presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said France would never accept that womens presence be limitedWomen must not be sidelinedYael BraunPivet the president of the National Assembly also condemned the incidentI refuse to accept that women should be told to step aside to meet the demands of foreign visitors she said Welcoming others never means giving up our values In France women are fully present in public life No one tells them to become invisible thereThe Eiffel Tower which attracts nearly seven million visitors annually remained closed throughout Monday after the staff walkout but reopened as usual on TuesdayWith AFP PTI and IANS inputs