Story perspectives

Eiffel Tower Reopens After Women Excluded During BAPS Visit

9/9/2026

Summary

Eiffel Tower Reopens

The Eiffel Tower reopened on 8 September after a one-day staff strike over sidelining women.
Staff said women were told to leave posts during the 5 September visit by 100 BAPS members.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announced an investigation, calling the practice unacceptable and contrary to republican values.
French Minister for Gender Equality Aurore Bergé said gender equality is non-negotiable and no religion supersedes law.

Summary

Municipality Restricts Monks

Municipal authorities have requested limits on BAPS monks’ interactions with women at the Eiffel Tower.
BAPS monks’ celibacy vows forbid speaking to or touching women, prompting the limits.
French employment law bans sex discrimination in work assignments, shaping the pending municipal probe.
SETE president Ariel Weil called the gender-based instructions “totally shocking,” citing the monument’s republican values.

History

Historical Context

The 1905 French law on the Separation of Churches and State, enacted on 9 December 1905, established strict secularism across public institutions. The French Parliament approved the legislation with 581 votes, reinforcing laïcité as a constitutional cornerstone and mandated that state-run sites remain free from religious discrimination. Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, Minister Aurore Bergé, and SETE chief Ariel Weil cite the legacy while confronting BAPS monks’ gender-based restrictions at the 324-meter Eiffel Tower. The episode reinforces France’s commitment to laïcité, likely prompting tighter municipal controls and possible judicial clarification of religious freedom versus anti-discrimination law.

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Eiffel Tower Reopens

The Eiffel Tower reopened on 8 September after a one-day staff strike over sidelining women.
Staff said women were told to leave posts during the 5 September visit by 100 BAPS members.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announced an investigation, calling the practice unacceptable and contrary to republican values.
French Minister for Gender Equality Aurore Bergé said gender equality is non-negotiable and no religion supersedes law.

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