WEBDESK - NAYADAUR - Imran Malik
The Eiffel Tower was closed on Monday after staff protested an incident in which female workers were reportedly moved from their positions during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation.
About 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, known as BAPS, visited the landmark on Saturday.
Staff union representative Diane Davoine said women were asked to leave their workplaces so male employees could take their positions during the delegation's visit.
She said the incident humiliated female workers. Management later apologized, but tensions continued through the weekend.
Workers met Monday to demand dialogue with management and assurances that women would not be treated this way again.
The Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, or SETE, confirmed that the delegation had requested arrangements to limit interactions with women.
SETE said those conditions should never have been accepted because they conflicted with its values and its commitment to equality between women and men.
Ariel Weil, SETE's president, called the practice unacceptable and reaffirmed the Eiffel Tower's commitment to France's republican values and gender equality.
The tower displayed a notice saying its opening had been delayed for operational reasons.
Political backlash
The incident quickly became a national political issue.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said an investigation would examine the circumstances of the visit. He also backed the protesting workers, saying that gender equality must apply throughout the city.
Hard-right leader Marine Le Pen said France would never accept restrictions being placed on women because of visitors' demands.
Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said no culture, belief or religion should dictate women's place in France.
National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet also criticized the incident, saying women should not be required to step aside to accommodate foreign visitors.
BAPS responds
BAPS said the visit had been arranged with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal opening hours to avoid disrupting other visitors.
The organization apologized for any pain or inconvenience caused and said it believed in universal values of mutual respect and service.
The visit came a day before BAPS consecrated its first major temple in France, in the suburbs of Paris.
BAPS describes itself as a spiritual, volunteer-driven organization based on Hindu values, with temples in major cities including London, Los Angeles and Sydney.
The controversy has raised broader questions in France about religious accommodation, workplace rights and equality.
SETE has acknowledged that the arrangements should not have been accepted. The investigation will now examine how the visit was organized and why female workers were reportedly moved.
For employees, the key question is whether the incident was an isolated management failure or a sign that stronger safeguards are needed to prevent religious or cultural preferences from affecting workplace equality.