Eiffel Tower in France reopens after protest over removal of female workers
The Eiffel Tower in Paris reopened to visitors on September 8 after a workers’ protest over reports that their female colleagues had been removed during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation. The landmark was closed on Monday, and the tower’s operator, SETE, held a meeting between management and staff.
Visit conditions
As Asharq Al-Awsat reports, a delegation from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement visited the tower on Saturday. SETE acknowledged that the delegation had asked for the visit to be organized in a way that limited “interaction with women” and said such conditions should not have been accepted.
Eiffel Tower workers said that service instructions resulted in female employees being sidelined, replaced by men and effectively hidden from the delegation because of their gender. According to them, some women were asked to leave their workplaces and move to other areas. Female employees were also instructed not to pass through certain sections while the delegation was at the site.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Reaction from the organization and politicians
BAPS apologized for “any pain or inconvenience” caused by the incident. In a post on X, the organization said that, to its knowledge, no one had been denied access to the Eiffel Tower. It also explained that because of the size of the delegation, the visit was organized with the tower’s team at the beginning of the regular working day so as not to disrupt other visitors.
France’s Minister for Gender Equality Aurore Bergé expressed outrage, saying that women in France are not asked to “disappear.” The incident was also criticized by far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and centrist Gabriel Attal, who spoke out ahead of next year’s presidential election.
