Eiffel Tower closed to visitors as staff strike after female workers removed

The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors on Monday due to a staff strike. According to the Times of India, the strike was over allegations that female employees were moved away from their workstations during a visit by a Hindu religious group linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). The group, which had around 100 people, had requested that the visit be organised to limit interactions with women.

The Eiffel Tower's operator, SETE, acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had made this request, but said these conditions should not have been accepted. A union representative, Diane Davoine, told French TV that female workers had been moved away from their workstations as the delegation passed by during the group’s visit on Saturday. Eiffel Tower employees condemned what they described as professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex.

The BAPS Hindu temple in Paris released a statement apologising for any pain or inconvenience caused. The temple said it took the concerns very seriously. The Eiffel Tower's closure was due to exceptional circumstances, according to SETE.

Brief written by urgent.news from Qatar Tribune, Times of India, France 24, Euronews, IOL — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.