Key Takeaways
- Paris city authorities launched an investigation into allegations of women staff being sidelined during a Hindu group's visit to the Eiffel Tower.
- The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) delegation requested limited interaction with women during their visit.
- Eiffel Tower staff and management acknowledged the incident and apologized to employees.
Paris city authorities have launched an investigation into allegations of women staff being sidelined during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation to the Eiffel Tower. The incident, which occurred on September 5, has drawn criticism from French politicians and prompted a probe by the city authorities.
According to union representatives, female employees at the Eiffel Tower were asked to step out of sight during the visit by a group of about 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
The Eiffel Tower staff statement condemned 'professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex' during the visit. They reported that some female employees were asked to leave their posts and replace by men, while others were instructed not to cross certain areas.
Diane Davoine, a union representative, told Reuters, 'Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts they were replaced by men. And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present.'
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire acknowledged the employees' anger and agreed that their dissatisfaction was legitimate. He stated, 'It is urgent that all light be shed on the facts that led to this protest.'
The operating company that runs the Eiffel Tower, SETE, acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested the visit be organized to limit 'interactions with women' and said that 'these conditions should not have been accepted.'
BAPS wrote in a statement on X, 'Due to the size of our delegation, the visit was arranged in conjunction with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal operating hours to avoid disrupting or inconveniencing others.'
SETE apologized to the staff and acknowledged that the conditions should not have been accepted. The Eiffel Tower was set to reopen on Tuesday after being closed late on Monday following a meeting between staff and management.
Yael Braun-Pivet, the president of the National Assembly, wrote in a post on X, 'Welcoming others never means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible.'
It is urgent that all light be shed on the facts that led to this protest.
Emmanuel Gregoire, Paris Mayor
Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts they were replaced by men. And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present.
Diane Davoine, Union representative
