The Eiffel Tower in Paris was shut on Monday as its staff went on strike against the removal of women colleagues from their workstations during a visit by a Hindu religious group, AFP quoted workers and management of the landmark site as saying.
The strike followed a visit by a delegation of about 100 people associated with the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha to the Eiffel Tower on Saturday, BBC reported.
The Eiffel Tower staff said that female employees had been instructed “to make themselves invisible in order to welcome this delegation”, AFP reported.
The group said that to the best of its knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower.
Je prends connaissance du mouvement de colère des salarié·es de la tour Eiffel et je veux leur dire que leur mécontentement est légitime.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris was shut on Monday as its staff went on strike against the removal of women colleagues from their workstations during a visit by a Hindu religious group, AFP quoted workers and management of the landmark site as saying.
The strike followed a visit by a delegation of about 100 people associated with the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha to the Eiffel Tower on Saturday, BBC reported. On Sunday, the group consecrated its first major temple in France, located in the suburbs of Paris, in a ceremony attended virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Eiffel Tower staff said that female employees had been instructed “to make themselves invisible in order to welcome this delegation”, AFP reported. The staffers said they were shocked to have been put in such a situation.
“Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas,” the staffers were quoted as saying. “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.”
SETE, the company that manages the monument, said that the Hindu delegation had asked for the visit to be arranged to minimise “interactions with women”, AFP reported. The company said that such conditions “should not have been accepted”, as they were inconsistent with its values and the principle of gender equality.
The company said that it would “accept the consequences” of the incident.
BAPS Paris said that it respects “the concerns raised” and takes them very seriously. The group said that to the best of its knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower.
However, it apologised for “any pain or inconvenience caused” and said it believes in the universal values of mutual respect and service.
“Due to the size of our delegation, the visit was arranged in conjunction with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal opening hours to avoid disrupting or inconveniencing others,” BAPS Paris said.
Nous comprenons les préoccupations exprimées et les prenons très au sérieux.
Compte tenu de la taille de notre délégation, la visite a été organisée en coordination avec les équipes de la tour Eiffel, au début des horaires habituels d’ouverture, afin de limiter autant que… pic.twitter.com/gyiwzmh6Jv — BAPS Mandir Swaminarayan Hindou de Paris (@BAPSParis) September 7, 2026
However, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said that such conditions being placed on Eiffel Tower staffers cannot be accepted. He said that women and men must be able to move freely at the site without any gender discrimination.
“Equality between women and men will never stop at the foot of our historical monuments, nor anywhere in this city,” Grégoire asserted. “It must be applied everywhere, for everyone.”
The mayor said an investigation would be launched into the matter.
Je prends connaissance du mouvement de colère des salarié·es de la tour Eiffel et je veux leur dire que leur mécontentement est légitime.
Il n’est pas acceptable que de telles conditions puissent être tolérées. Ce ne sont ni mes valeurs, ni celles que doit porter la tour Eiffel,… https://t.co/3srttJpxPo — Emmanuel Grégoire (@egregoire) September 7, 2026
French Equality Minister Aurore Bergé said on social media: “In France, we do not ask women to erase themselves. No dogma, no religion is above the laws of the Republic.”
Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.
