Eiffel Tower reopens after spat over removing women staff

The Eiffel Tower reopened after being closed due to a staff protest. The protest was sparked by an incident during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation from Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, on Saturday. According to union representative Diane Davoine, female employees were asked to step out of sight so that men could take their places during the visit.

The incident, which occurred on September 5, angered staff and drew criticism from French politicians. The Paris monument was closed late on Monday following a meeting between staff and management. The operating company that runs the Eiffel Tower, SETE, acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested the visit be organised to limit “interactions with women” and said that “these conditions should not have been accepted”.

The Hindu group later apologised for “any pain or inconvenience caused” by the incident. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said that an investigation would be launched “as soon as possible” and added that he agreed with the employees' dissatisfaction being legitimate. Management apologized to staff over the incident.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Punch, Hindustan Times - World News, Jerusalem Post, Dawn — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.