Female employees at Eiffel Tower said they were asked to leave certain areas and were replaced by male colleagues during the delegation’s tour, prompting accusations of humiliation and discrimination.
BY PC Bureau
September 8, 2026: Paris’s most famous landmark remained closed on Monday after workers walked off the job following a controversial weekend visit by a Hindu religious delegation. The dispute was not over pay or working hours. Female employees said they were instructed to step aside, stay out of certain areas and let male colleagues take their posts while the visitors were at the Eiffel Tower.
The delegation comprised about 100 people linked to BAPS, or Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha. They were in France for ceremonies surrounding the opening of the movement’s first major temple near Paris, which was consecrated on Sunday. Their private tour of the Eiffel Tower took place on Saturday.
Staff later described the instructions as an order to make themselves “invisible”. Women employed by the tower and outside contractors said some were removed from their stations, while others were replaced by male colleagues. They said female staff were also instructed not to walk through parts of the site until the delegation had left.
Union official Diane Davoine said women were moved so men could stand in their place as the group passed. She said the episode left female workers humiliated. Management subsequently apologised, but staff sought assurances that such an arrangement would never be repeated.
The Eiffel Tower was shut on Monday after staff went on strike claiming women were asked to step out of sight during a visit by a Hindu group. Around 100 people from the BAPS Hindu movement were among the delegation as France inaugurated its first major Hindu temple. pic.twitter.com/lcxLNXhZLh
— Shogri (@shogri786) September 8, 2026
Tower operator says it should have said no
SETE, the company that operates the Eiffel Tower, confirmed that the delegation had requested that the visit be organised in a way that limited “interactions with women”. The company said those conditions should never have been accepted.
SETE said the arrangement conflicted with its own values and with the principle of equality between men and women.
Ariel Weil, SETE’s president, described the practice as unacceptable and said the company would face the consequences. He reaffirmed the tower’s commitment to republican principles and equal treatment of men and women.
The Eiffel Tower attracts nearly seven million visitors a year. It remained closed throughout Monday, with a staff representative saying operations would return to normal on Tuesday.
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BAPS apologises
BAPS said it took the complaints seriously. It said the visit had been scheduled at the beginning of opening hours, in coordination with Eiffel Tower staff, to minimise disruption, and maintained that it did not believe anyone had been barred from the site.
The organisation nevertheless apologised to anyone who felt hurt or inconvenienced, saying it remained committed to mutual respect and service to others.
Officials condemn the arrangement
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire backed an investigation “as soon as possible”, saying the workers’ anger was justified and that the facts needed to be established quickly.
Equality Minister Aurore Bergé said France does not ask women to erase themselves and that no religion stands above the laws of the Republic.
Marine Le Pen said France would never accept restrictions on women’s presence, while Gabriel Attal said no culture, belief or religion could dictate to women what their place should be.
