Eiffel Tower staff strike after female workers 'sidelined' during Hindu group visit

In a statement, the CGT trade union condemned what it described as "workplace instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and rendered invisible on the basis of their gender", France 24 reported.

"Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts they were replaced by men," the statement said. "And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present."

The dispute stems from a private visit last week by a Hindu delegation of around 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), which recently inaugurated its first Hindu temple in Paris.

SETE, the company that operates the Eiffel Tower, said the delegation had requested that the visit be organised in a manner that would limit "interactions with women". The company acknowledged that "these conditions should not have been accepted", France 24 reported.

Political reactions

The incident sparked strong political reactions in France, with several leaders condemning the reported treatment of female employees.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire backed the strike and said the concerns raised by Eiffel Tower workers were legitimate.

"I am taking note of the anger expressed by the employees of the Eiffel Tower, and I want to tell them that their discontent is legitimate. It is not acceptable that such conditions can be tolerated. These are neither my values, nor those that the Eiffel Tower should uphold, where everyone—regardless of gender—should be able to move about and act freely, without distinction between women and men," he wrote on X.

"It is urgent that full light be shed on the facts that led to this mobilization. Equality between women and men will never stop at the foot of our historical monuments, nor anywhere in this city. It must be applied everywhere, for everyone," he added, promising an investigation into the incident.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, an early frontrunner in next year's presidential election, also expressed concern over the incident.

"In France, we will never accept that the presence of women be 'limited'. All light must be shed on what happened during this visit to the Eiffel Tower," she wrote on X.

Former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who is also running for the presidency, said in a strongly worded post on X: "In France, no culture, no belief, no worship, nothing nor anyone can come dictate to women their place."

"Full support to the teams mobilizing to defend our Eiffel Tower, beacon of freedom and emancipation," he added.

BAPS responds

BAPS denied the allegations and said it understood the concerns raised by Eiffel Tower employees.

"We understand the concerns expressed and take them very seriously. Given the size of our delegation, the visit was organized in coordination with the Eiffel Tower teams, at the start of normal opening hours, in order to limit as much as possible any disruption for other visitors," the organisation said in a statement.

"To our knowledge, at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone," it added.

"Nevertheless, we wish to offer our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation," BAPS said.