Eiffel Tower reopens following staff strike after female employees 'made invisible' for Hindu group visit
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The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu temple in Paris released a statement apologising for "any pain or inconvenience caused."
The Eiffel Tower reopened on Tuesday after staff staged a walk-out the day before over the removal of women colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious group which later apologised.
The operating company that runs the Paris landmark, SETE, acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested the visit be organised so as to limit "interactions with women" and said that "these conditions should not have been accepted."
It said the landmark would open its doors again following a meeting between staff and management.
The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement apologised for "any pain or inconvenience caused" by the incident.
"To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower," the organisation wrote 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."
Fireworks and drones illuminate the Eiffel Tower in Paris on the eve of Bastille Day celebrations, 13 July, 2026 AP Photo
Eiffel Tower staff said in a statement that it condemned "professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex" during the visit by the delegation.
"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," the staff said in their statement, adding they were shocked to have been put in such a situation.
"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 Grégoire, promised an investigation "as soon as possible."
Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of the National Assembly, condemned the incident on Monday.
"I refuse to accept that women should be told to step aside to meet the demands of foreign visitors," she said.
"Welcoming others never means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible there."
The Eiffel Tower's website said the landmark was closed on Monday due to "exceptional circumstances."
It advised visitors with tickets to check their emails and apologised for the inconvenience.
The Eiffel Tower reopened on Tuesday after staff staged a walk-out the day before over the removal of women colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious group which later apologised.
The operating company that runs the Paris landmark, SETE, acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested the visit be organised so as to limit "interactions with women" and said that "these conditions should not have been accepted."
It said the landmark would open its doors again following a meeting between staff and management.
The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement apologised for "any pain or inconvenience caused" by the incident.
"To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower," the organisation wrote 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."
Eiffel Tower staff said in a statement that it condemned "professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex" during the visit by the delegation.
"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," the staff said in their statement, adding they were shocked to have been put in such a situation.
"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 Grégoire, promised an investigation "as soon as possible."
Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of the National Assembly, condemned the incident on Monday.
"I refuse to accept that women should be told to step aside to meet the demands of foreign visitors," she said.
"Welcoming others never means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible there."
The Eiffel Tower's website said the landmark was closed on Monday due to "exceptional circumstances."
It advised visitors with tickets to check their emails and apologised for the inconvenience.
Eiffel Tower closes as staff strike after female employees 'made invisible' for Hindu group visit
The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu temple in Paris has released a statement apologising for "any pain or inconvenience caused."
Staff at the Eiffel Tower staged a walkout on Monday, forcing the closure of the iconic Parisian landmark after female employees were said to have been moved out of sight during the visit of a Hindu religious group.
The row began after the visit of around 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu movement, which inaugurated a new temple in France over the weekend.
Diane Davoine, a union representative, told French TV that female workers had been "moved away from their workstations as the delegation passed by" during a visit on Saturday.
Eiffel Tower employees have condemned in a statement what they described as "professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex."
SETE, the company that runs the tower, has acknowledged that the Hindu delegation requested the trip be organised so as to limit "interactions with women," adding that "these conditions should not have been accepted."
In a statement released on Monday evening, the BAPS Hindu temple in Paris said it took the concerns raised "very seriously" and apologised for "any pain or inconvenience caused."
"Due to the size of our delegation, the visit was arranged in conjunction with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal opening hours to avoid disrupting or inconveniencing others," it said.
"To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower," it continued, adding that it believed in the "universal values of mutual respect and service."
In a post on X, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said he was "aware of the outcry among the employees of the Eiffel Tower" and that it was "unacceptable" that such conditions were agreed to.
"These are not my values, nor are they the values that the Eiffel Tower should uphold, where everyone must be able to move about and act freely, without distinction between women and men," he wrote, adding that an investigation into the incident would be launched.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of the National Assembly, has also condemned the incident.
"I refuse to accept that women should be told to step aside to meet the demands of foreign visitors," she said. "Welcoming others never means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible there."
The Eiffel Tower's website says the landmark is closed on Monday due to "exceptional circumstances."
It advises visitors with tickets to check their emails and apologised for the inconvenience.
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