Eiffel Tower shut by staff protest after female workers moved for religious visit

The Eiffel Tower was shut down on Monday following a staff protest against female workers being moved during a visit by a Hindu religious group. A delegation of about 100 members from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) group toured the landmark in Paris on Saturday. The union representative of the staff, Diane Davoine, reported that women were instructed to relocate from their workstations to accommodate men during the visit.

Both the workers and management expressed their dissatisfaction and apologized for the incident. The management of the Eiffel Tower, SETE, acknowledged that the conditions were unacceptable, as they clashed with the company's values and principles of equality between men and women. SETE president Ariel Weil emphasized the monument's commitment to republican values and equality between men and women.

BAPS confirmed that their visit was planned to restrict interactions with women, which CONTRADICTED the company's stance. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire vowed to investigate the incident and assured that the employees' grievances were valid, while French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen and former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal condemned the practice of limiting women's presence for the sake of religious visitors.

France's National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet firmly stated that women would not be forced to move aside for foreign visitors.