New Delhi: One of the world’s iconic sights, the Eiffel Tower has remained shuttered on Monday following its employees’ strike. A few days before they were upset about the treatment meted out to women employees by a Hindu religious group during a visit.
What happened
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
About 100 people, including those from a Hindu spiritual organization called BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha), toured the tower privately. During the visit, an female workers were directed to vacate their work assignments and remain out of view, the workers stated. Sometimes women were replace with the male workers to trick the visitors and not let them talk to one of them.
As the union walked through the tower women were moved away from their workstation, said a union representative. A statement issued by staff said they were shocked and disappointed to see the women employees being treated as if they don’t exist due to their gender.
The group which was operates the Eiffel Tower, known as SETE, has acknowledged that the group had been requested the visit be organised in a manner that would going to ensure that the group would have the minimum contact with the women. SETE stated that it made a mistake in accepting the request as it did not align with the companies values and its equality stance for men and women.
Reactions from officials
News of the incident sparked anger in France. Never ask women to conceal themselves, “no religion is above French law”: the country’s equality minister, Aurore Bergé, said in a firm statement last night. In a letter to the company, Paris official Ariel Weil, chairman of SETE, pledged a thorough investigation into what occurred and that the company would be held accountable for its choice.
An apology was issued by BAPS as well. The group expressed its regret and offered to let visitors understand that the excursion was arranged at the start of the day to not disrupt other visitors. It was never intended to block anyone’s access to the tower and appreciates all people equally, it said.
Tower closed for a day
The Eiffel Tower wasn’t even opened on Monday due to the strike. Many tourists had booked their tickets beforehand, to their dismay. The tower’s average annual visitor count is nearly 7 million, making it one of the most visited paid attractions in the world. This landmark is normally open and should be opening Tuesday, a staff member said.
It occurred shortly after the opening of a large Hindu temple announced by BAPS in Paris.
