Eiffel Tower to reopen after protest over removing women staff

The operating company that runs the Paris landmark said a Hindu religious delegation had requested that ‘interactions with women’ be limited during its visit.

Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu monks take part in a religious ceremony in front of the Eiffel Tower before a ceremonial parade on the River Seine in Paris, France on September 3, 2026 [Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP]

The Eiffel Tower is set to reopen after staff walked out over the removal of women staff during a weekend visit by a Hindu religious delegation.

The operating company that runs the Paris landmark, SETE, acknowledged that the group had requested the Saturday visit be organised to limit “interactions with women” and said “these conditions should not have been accepted.”

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It said the landmark was set to reopen Tuesday following a meeting the previous day between staff and management over the incident, which has also drawn criticism from French politicians.

The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement apologised for “any pain or inconvenience caused” by their visit.

“To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower,” the organisation wrote on social media.

“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.”

Eiffel Tower staff said in a statement that they condemned “professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex” during the visit by the delegation.

“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,” staff said, adding they were shocked to have been put in such a situation.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said an investigation would be launched “as soon as possible”. In a post on social media, he said he was aware of the employees’ anger and agreed their dissatisfaction was legitimate.

Yael Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, wrote in a post on social media: “Welcoming others never means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible.”

运营巴黎地标性建筑的公司表示，一个印度教宗教代表团要求在参观期间限制“与女性的互动”。

2026年9月3日，在法国巴黎塞纳河畔举行的仪式游行之前，博查桑瓦西·阿克沙尔·普鲁肖塔姆·斯瓦米纳拉扬教团（BAPS）的印度教僧侣在埃菲尔铁塔前参加宗教仪式。[Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP]

埃菲尔铁塔在周末接待印度教宗教代表团期间，因女性工作人员被驱逐而引发员工罢工后，即将重新开放。

运营巴黎地标的SETE公司承认，该团体要求安排周六的参观活动是为了限制“与女性的互动”，并表示“这些条件不应该被接受”。

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声明称，在前一天工作人员和管理层就该事件举行会议后，这座地标性建筑将于周二重新开放。该事件也引起了法国政界人士的批评。

博查桑瓦西·阿克沙尔·普鲁肖塔姆·斯瓦米纳拉扬·桑斯塔（BAPS）灵修运动就其来访造成的“任何痛苦或不便”表示歉意。

“据我们所知，从来没有人被阻止进入埃菲尔铁塔，”该组织在社交媒体上写道。

“由于我们代表团人数众多，为了避免打扰或给其他人带来不便，我们与埃菲尔铁塔团队协商安排了此次参观，时间定在正常营业时间的开始阶段。”

埃菲尔铁塔工作人员在一份声明中表示，他们谴责代表团访问期间“导致女员工因性别而被边缘化、取代和忽视的职业指示”。

“一些员工被要求离开岗位，撤到其他区域。有些岗位被男性员工取代。所有女性员工都被告知，代表团在场时不得经过或穿越某些区域，”员工们说，并补充道，他们对被置于这种境地感到震惊。

巴黎市长埃马纽埃尔·格雷瓜尔表示，将“尽快”展开调查。他在社交媒体上发文称，他了解员工们的愤怒，并认为他们的不满是合理的。

法国国民议会议长雅埃尔·布劳恩-皮韦在社交媒体上发文写道：“欢迎他人绝不意味着放弃我们的价值观。在法国，女性充分参与公共生活。没有人要求她们隐身。”