Agencies | Paris:
The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors on Monday after staff went on strike over arrangements made during a recent private visit by a Hindu religious group, which reportedly resulted in female employees being moved away from certain positions.
Around 100 members linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) visited the Paris landmark on Saturday. The visit coincided with a cultural boat procession on the Seine organised by the group.
Staff at the Eiffel Tower said female employees were instructed to leave certain workstations, with some replaced by male colleagues, while others were told not to enter areas being used by the delegation.
The company operating the Eiffel Tower, SETE, acknowledged that the delegation had requested arrangements aimed at limiting interactions with women.
“Instructions were given to female employees of the Eiffel Tower and to female employees of contractors to make themselves invisible in order to welcome this delegation,” SETE said in a statement, describing the situation as shocking.
“Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts they were replaced by men. And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present,” the company said.
SETE said the conditions should never have been accepted and were inconsistent with its values and France’s principle of equality between women and men.
SETE President Ariel Weil described the arrangement as unacceptable and reaffirmed the landmark’s commitment to republican values and gender equality.
“I restate the Eiffel Tower’s commitment to republican values and to the equality of men and women,” Weil said.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire also criticised the decision, saying it was unacceptable that the management had agreed to the conditions reportedly sought for the visit. He said an investigation would be launched into the circumstances surrounding the arrangement.
The Eiffel Tower attracts nearly seven million visitors annually and remained closed throughout Monday amid the staff protest. It was expected to reopen on Tuesday.
BAPS said it had taken the concerns raised over the visit “very seriously”.
The organisation said the private visit had been arranged with the Eiffel Tower team at the beginning of normal opening hours because of the size of its delegation. According to BAPS, the purpose was to minimise disruption to other visitors.
“To our knowledge, at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone,” the organisation said.
“Nevertheless, we wish to offer our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation,” it added, while stressing its commitment to “universal values of mutual respect and service to others”.
BAPS representatives were in France for events connected with the inauguration of a Hindu temple near Paris.
The controversy has drawn criticism from politicians across France’s political spectrum, with leaders questioning the decision to restrict the presence or movement of female employees.
Equality Minister Aurore Berge said women in France should not be asked to “erase themselves” and stressed that no religion or doctrine stood above the laws of the Republic.
“In France, we do not ask women to erase themselves. No dogma, no religion is above the laws of the Republic,” she wrote.
Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen also criticised the reported restrictions, saying France would not accept limitations on women’s presence.
Centrist politician Gabriel Attal similarly said that “no culture, no belief, no religion, nothing and no one” could dictate to women what their place should be.
The controversy has consequently widened into a broader debate in France over gender equality, religious sensitivities and the responsibilities of public institutions when hosting private groups.
