Full Breakdown
Eiffel Tower Reopens After Staff Protest Over Female Employees Being Sidelined During Hindu Delegation Visit
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Incident
On a Saturday, a delegation of roughly 100 members of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) visited the Eiffel Tower. The operating company, Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE), confirmed that the group had asked the visit be organised to limit “interactions with women.” During the visit, female staff and contractor employees were instructed to leave their workstations, be replaced by men, and avoid certain areas of the monument. The resulting walk-out forced the tower to close on Monday; it reopened the following Tuesday after a meeting between staff and management.
Background & Context
BAPS is a Hindu spiritual movement with temples worldwide, including a newly inaugurated major temple in the Paris suburbs. The temple’s consecration took place on Sunday, shortly after the Eiffel Tower incident, and was attended virtually by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The delegation’s request was framed as a measure to avoid disrupting the visit, according to BAPS statements.
Timeline
- Saturday – BAPS delegation arrives; women staff are asked to step aside.
- Monday – Staff walk-out leads to temporary closure of the Eiffel Tower.
- Tuesday – Tower reopens after a meeting between employees and SETE management.
- Following days – Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announces an investigation; French officials issue public condemnations.
Data & Statistics
- Approx. 100 delegation members attended the Eiffel Tower visit.
- The Eiffel Tower was illuminated in U.S. flag colours on July 3, 2026 to mark the United States’ 250th independence anniversary (contextual backdrop).
Official Statements & Responses
- SETE said the delegation’s request “should not have been accepted” and that the conditions conflicted with the company’s values of gender equality.
- SETE president Ariel Weil reiterated the company’s commitment to republican values and gender equality.
Criticism & Opposition
- Marine Le Pen, French hard-right leader, declared, “In France, we will never accept that the presence of women be ‘limited’.”
- Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, asserted, “In France, no culture, no belief, no worship, nothing nor anyone can come to dictate to women their place.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “As the delegation passed through, women were asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places,” — Diane Davoine
- “So that absolutely does not go down well with the employees, with women obviously, who are all humiliated by what happened, by the way some were treated,” — Diane Davoine
- “It is clearly not an acceptable practice.” — Ariel Weil, SETE president
- “In France, we will never accept that the presence of women be 'limited'.” — Marine Le Pen
- “In France, no culture, no belief, no worship, nothing nor anyone can come to dictate to women their place.” — Yaël Braun-Pivet, national assembly president
- “In some posts, they were replaced by men. And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present.” — India Today. SETE
What's Next
Paris authorities have launched an investigation into how the request was approved and why female staff were instructed to become “invisible.” The inquiry’s findings and any subsequent policy changes are expected to be reported by the mayor’s office in the coming weeks.
