Eiffel Tower shuts as staff protest treatment of women during Hindu group visit

Millat Times Desk

08 September 2026 (Publish: 05:56 AM IST)

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The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors on Monday after staff went on strike to protest the removal of female employees from some work areas during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation, according to workers and the company operating the landmark.

The dispute followed a visit on Saturday by a delegation of about 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, the BBC reported. The group was in France for the inauguration on Sunday of its first major Hindu temple near Paris, an event attended virtually by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Workers said female staff had been told to avoid certain areas and, in some cases, leave their usual positions while the delegation was at the tower. Some posts were temporarily staffed by male employees, AFP reported.

The tower’s operator, SETE, said the delegation had requested arrangements designed to limit interactions with women. The company said such conditions should not have been accepted because they conflicted with its values and its commitment to gender equality.

SETE said it would accept the consequences of the incident.

BAPS Paris said it took the concerns raised by Eiffel Tower employees seriously and apologised for any distress or inconvenience caused. It said the visit had been organised with the tower’s management because of the size of the delegation and was scheduled at the start of normal opening hours to minimise disruption.

The organisation said it was not aware of anyone being denied access to the Eiffel Tower and said it supported universal principles of mutual respect and service.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire backed the protesting workers and said restrictions based on gender could not be accepted at the landmark. He said women and men should be free to move around the site without discrimination and announced an investigation.

French Equality Minister Aurore Bergé also criticised the reported treatment of female workers, saying that women in France should not be asked to make themselves invisible and that religious beliefs could not take precedence over French law.