The Eiffel Tower reopened Tuesday morning after staff staged a walkout protesting the removal of female employees during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation on Saturday.
SETE, the monument’s operating company, acknowledged the delegation’s request to limit interactions with women and admitted the conditions should not have been accepted. The landmark was closed Monday for a meeting between staff and management following the incident, which drew criticism from labor unions, politicians, and advocacy groups.
SETE president Ariel Weil stated the company was “a bit overzealous” in complying with the request, adding that the conditions were “not in line with SETE’s values, nor the principles of equality between men and women.” The company confirmed it will accept any consequences resulting from the decision.
Union representatives and staff reported that female employees were instructed to leave their workstations and were replaced by men during the delegation’s visit. Diane Davoine, a staff union representative, told Reuters that women were “asked to leave their places of work in order to place men there” and described the treatment as humiliating. The General Confederation of Labour (CGT) condemned the “workplace instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced, and rendered invisible on the basis of their gender.”
BAPS, the Hindu spiritual movement behind the delegation, issued an apology on X for “any pain or inconvenience caused.” The group stated that the visit was arranged “in conjunction with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal opening hours to avoid disrupting or inconveniencing others” and that “to the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower.” The organization emphasized its commitment to “universal values of mutual respect and service to others.”
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire criticized the incident on X, calling it “unacceptable” and stating that “these are not my values, nor are they the values that the Eiffel Tower should uphold.” The matter is under investigation by Paris city authorities.
SETE’s internal review found that the delegation, linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), had requested the visit be organized to limit “interactions with women.” The company confirmed it accepted these conditions but later acknowledged they should not have been agreed to. SETE has not disclosed whether any disciplinary actions will be taken against employees involved in enforcing the request.
The Eiffel Tower receives nearly seven million visitors annually, and its closure on Monday marked an unusual disruption to operations. Staff returned to work Tuesday after management held discussions with union representatives to address concerns about gender equality in the workplace.
Background: The incident occurred during a weekend visit by a 100-member delegation from BAPS, a Hindu spiritual group that inaugurated a new temple in France. The group’s visit was coordinated with SETE to avoid disrupting regular operations. However, the request to limit interactions with women sparked immediate backlash from staff, who viewed it as discriminatory.
Reactions from French officials and advocacy groups have been uniformly critical. Paris officials and labor unions have called for stronger workplace policies to prevent gender-based discrimination. The incident has also drawn comparisons to broader debates in France about secularism, religious accommodation, and workplace equality.
SETE has pledged to reaffirm its commitment to republican values and gender equality, with Ariel Weil stating, “I restate the Eiffel Tower’s commitment to the equality of men and women.” The company has not specified further steps but indicated it will review internal policies to prevent similar incidents in the future.