7 hrs ago
Eiffel Tower Closed After Women Asked to Step Aside
A group of about 100 people connected to BAPS visited the Eiffel Tower on Saturday.
The visit was linked to events for opening a Hindu temple near Paris.
Workers said female employees were told to move away or avoid certain areas while the group passed.
Some women were reportedly replaced by male coworkers.
The company running the tower said these instructions should never have been accepted.
Eiffel Tower employees protested on Monday, so the tower stayed closed that day.
BAPS said the visit was planned to avoid disturbing other visitors and apologized to anyone upset.
Paris officials said they would investigate what happened.
Female Eiffel Tower employees were reportedly moved from workstations during a private Saturday visit by about 100 Hindu delegates linked to BAPS.
SETE said instructions told female staff and contractors to make themselves invisible, with some replaced by male colleagues and barred from certain areas.
Employees held a protest meeting on Monday, closing the tower; it was expected to reopen Tuesday.
Paris authorities announced an investigation, while SETE called the arrangement unacceptable and inconsistent with equality principles.
BAPS said the visit was organized to reduce disruption, apologized for any hurt or inconvenience, and said no one was denied access.
- Who
- Female Eiffel Tower employees, SETE, a BAPS-linked Hindu delegation, Paris authorities, and French political leaders.
- What
- A dispute arose after female staff were reportedly told to leave posts or avoid areas during a private delegation visit, prompting a protest and investigation.
- Where
- The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
- When
- The visit took place on Saturday; employees protested and the tower closed on Monday, with reopening expected Tuesday.
- Why
- The delegation reportedly sought to limit interactions with women; staff protested the instructions and demanded assurances that women would not be treated similarly again.
Staff, Officials and Critics
BAPS and Visit Organizers
Treatment of female employees
Staff, Officials and Critics
Union representatives and French politicians said women should not be removed from public-facing roles or made invisible to accommodate visitors. SETE called the arrangement unacceptable and inconsistent with equality between men and women.
BAPS and Visit Organizers
BAPS said the visit was organized with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal opening hours to limit disruption, and apologized to anyone hurt or inconvenienced. It did not directly describe the staff instructions in its statement.
Responsibility for the arrangement
Staff, Officials and Critics
Employees and officials criticized Eiffel Tower management for accepting conditions that led female workers to leave posts or avoid certain areas, and Paris announced an investigation.
BAPS and Visit Organizers
SETE said the delegation had asked for the visit to be arranged to limit interactions with women, while BAPS said the visit had been coordinated with the Eiffel Tower team.
Effect on visitors
Staff, Officials and Critics
The protest disrupted operations and delayed or prevented the tower’s opening on Monday.
BAPS and Visit Organizers
BAPS said the visit’s purpose was to minimize disruption for other visitors and said, to its knowledge, access to the Eiffel Tower was never denied to anyone.
Key facts
- Delegation size
- About 100 people
- Organization
- Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS)
- Visit purpose
- Events connected to the inauguration of a Hindu temple near Paris
- Reported instructions
- Female employees and contractors were told to leave some posts, avoid certain areas, or make themselves invisible
- Tower closure
- The Eiffel Tower remained closed on Monday during the staff protest and was expected to reopen Tuesday
- Investigation
- Paris authorities said an investigation would be launched as soon as possible
- BAPS response
- BAPS apologized for hurt or inconvenience and said the visit was arranged to limit disruption
Quotes
Diane Davoine
Union representative at the Eiffel Tower
“Instructions were given to female employees of the Eiffel Tower and to female employees of contractors to make themselves invisible in order to welcome this delegation.”
news18.com
“Nevertheless, we wish to offer our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation.”
news18.com
Emmanuel Gregoire
Paris mayor
“I restate the Eiffel Tower’s commitment to republican values and to the equality of men and women.”
news18.com
“I refuse to accept that women should be told to step aside to meet the demands of foreign visitors”
theprint.in
Sources
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