{
  "id": 6193232,
  "title": "Eiffel Tower shut by staff protest after women moved for religious visit",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/eiffel-tower-shut-by-staff-protest-after-women-moved-for-religious",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-07T23:46:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC World",
    "slug": "bbc-world",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyenxp540vo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Eiffel Tower was closed on Monday due to a staff strike following the removal of female workers for a visit by a Hindu religious group. The delegation, comprising around 100 members from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), arrived in Paris on Saturday for a religious pilgrimage. According to staff union representative Diane Davoine, women were instructed to vacate their workstations to make room for male employees. Management subsequently apologized for the incident, which deeply upset female staff members. The dispute escalated over the weekend, leading the workers to meet with management to address the issue and prevent similar occurrences. The company that operates the monument, Société d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE), confirmed that the visit was organized to minimize interactions with women, which the firm deemed unacceptable and contrary to their values of equality between men and women. SETE president Ariel Weil emphasized the monument's commitment to republican values and equality of the sexes. BAPS stated they had arranged the visit to coincide with normal opening hours and had apologized for any inconvenience caused, asserting their belief in universal values of mutual respect and service. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire promised an investigation into the incident, stating that the anger expressed by Eiffel Tower employees was legitimate and that equality between women and men would not be compromised at historical landmarks. French political figures, including Marine Le Pen, Gabriel Attal, and Yaël Braun-Pivet, expressed strong opposition to limiting women's presence in public spaces.",
  "summary": "The mayor of Paris said an investigation would be launched into the incident, which left female employees \"humiliated\", according to a union representative.",
  "key_points": [
    "Eiffel Tower closed Monday due to staff strike",
    "Women moved for male employees during Hindu visit",
    "SETE president Ariel Weil condemned visit values"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Eiffel Tower closure highlights management's struggle to balance accommodating religious groups with upholding its workplace values of equality between men and women, sparking a wider political debate on the issue.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde English",
        "title": "Eiffel Tower closed in row over women removed for Hindu group",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/eiffel-tower-closed-in-row-over-women-removed-for-hindu-group",
        "published": "2026-09-07T18:39:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Eiffel Tower closed in row over women removed for Hindu group",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/eiffel-tower-closed-in-row-over-women-removed-for-hindu-group-6161432",
        "published": "2026-09-07T18:46:38.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Eiffel Tower closes after strike over sidelining of female staff during BAPS visit",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/eiffel-tower-closes-after-strike-over-sidelining-of-female-staff",
        "published": "2026-09-07T19:04:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "Eiffel Tower closes as staff strike after female employees 'made invisible' for Hindu group visit",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/eiffel-tower-closes-as-staff-strike-after-female-employees-made",
        "published": "2026-09-07T19:52:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "Eiffel Tower closed in row over women removed for Hindu group",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/eiffel-tower-closed-in-row-over-women-removed-for-hindu-group-6177825",
        "published": "2026-09-07T21:38:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "DW English (Top Stories)",
        "title": "Eiffel Tower employees strike after female workers removal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/eiffel-tower-employees-strike-after-female-workers-removal",
        "published": "2026-09-07T22:23:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Qatar Tribune",
        "title": "Eiffel Tower closed to visitors as staff strike after female workers removed",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/eiffel-tower-closed-to-visitors-as-staff-strike-after-female-workers",
        "published": "2026-09-07T22:26:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Eiffel Tower closed in row over women removed for Hindu group",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/eiffel-tower-closed-in-row-over-women-removed-for-hindu-group-6189240",
        "published": "2026-09-07T23:03:39.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}