The Eiffel Tower found itself at the center of a controversy this week after a private visit left some employees furious and eventually brought the iconic Paris landmark to a standstill.
The religious visit over the weekend has now triggered accusations of humiliation, a staff protest, political outrage, and an investigation into how the unusual arrangements were allowed in the first place.
Highlights
- The Eiffel Tower was forced to close after a controversial private religious visit sparked fury among staff.
- Female employees said they were told to make themselves “invisible” during the unusual arrangements.
- BAPS apologized, but online critics questioned why Eiffel Tower management agreed to the request in the first place.
The organization at the center of the controversy has since apologized, but the apology has done little to quiet the debate.
One person reacted, “Why would a French institute agree to this absurdity???”
The controversy began as Eiffel Tower staff launched a strike after female employees were sidelined during a Hindu delegation’s visit
The incident took place on Saturday, September 5, when a delegation of around 100 people linked to BAPS, or the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, visited the Eiffel Tower during a private early-morning tour.
The visit came as BAPS was celebrating the opening and consecration of its first major Hindu temple in France, located in Bussy-Saint-Georges, a suburb east of Paris.
The organization held a series of cultural and religious events around the temple inauguration, drawing devotees and visitors to the French capital.
But their Eiffel Tower visit quickly became a heated global controversy.
According to the tower’s operating company, SETE, the delegation had requested that the visit be organized in a way that limited “interactions with women.”
Management accommodated the request by changing where some female employees could work while the group was present.
Eiffel Tower employees were reportedly instructed to leave certain workstations or avoid particular areas while the delegation passed through.
In some locations, male colleagues replaced female workers.
Female Eiffel Tower employees alleged they were told to make themselves “invisible”
The decision sparked widespread criticism, with much of the backlash aimed at SETE for accommodating the request.
One person wrote, “So before monks would go to mountains, deserts to avoid interacting with the livings. Now they come to Eiffels and everyone else go to mountains?”
“Why indulge them in the first place? Stand in line and get your tickets!” another user commented.
A third added, “The Eiffel Tower management should have simply refused to comply and none of this would have happened!!”
Union representative Diane Davoine described the situation as “humiliating,” saying women had been asked to leave their places of work “in order to place men there.”
Staff were particularly angry about what they viewed as a workplace decision based solely on gender.
A statement from Eiffel Tower employees described the instructions as ones that caused female workers to be “sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their s*x.”
The dispute escalated over the weekend, as employees demanded answers and protections against similar treatment in the future.
Their anger ultimately resulted into a strike on Monday, September 7, forcing the Eiffel Tower to close to visitors.
Eiffel Tower management admitted the arrangement “should not have been accepted” amid mounting outrage
Davoine said the workers wanted to open a dialogue with management and ensure that female employees would “never be treated this way” again.
SETE eventually acknowledged that the conditions surrounding the visit crossed a line.
The company said the delegation had asked for the visit to be organized to limit “interactions with women,” but admitted that “these conditions should not have been accepted.”
It also said the arrangement was inconsistent with its values and with principles of equality between women and men.
SETE president Ariel Weil was similarly blunt, calling the practice “unacceptable” and reaffirming the Eiffel Tower’s commitment to equality.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire also issued a response, writing in a post on X that “it is not acceptable that such conditions can be tolerated,” explicitly criticizing the monument’s operating company, SETE, for agreeing to the delegation’s terms.
Grégoire emphasized the importance of gender equality, writing, “Equality between women and men will never end at the foot of our historic monuments, nor anywhere else in this city.”
Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that “no culture, no belief, no worship” could dictate where women belonged in France.
BAPS apologized for the controversy but said “at no point was anyone” denied access to the tower
Likewise, National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet also rejected the idea that women should be required to step aside to accommodate foreign visitors.
Paris authorities also launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
BAPS has since apologized for the controversy, saying it understood the concerns raised and took them “seriously.”
The organization said, “Given the size of our delegation, the visit was organized in coordination with the Eiffel Tower teams, at the start of normal opening hours, in order to limit as much as possible any disruption for other visitors.”
“To our knowledge, at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone. Nevertheless, we wish to offer our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation. To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower.”
Nevertheless, the organization apologized to anyone who had been hurt or inconvenienced, adding that it believed in “the universal values of mutual respect and service.”
According to some reports, the BAPS delegation requested these arrangements to accommodate the strict, lifelong monastic vows of celibacy, known as Nishkam Dharma, followed by monks or ascetics within the organization.
Monks in this specific order adhere to highly rigid practices to maintain spiritual purity.
This code prohibits them from physically touching, speaking to, or intentionally looking at women.
As of this writing, there is no evidence that the delegation itself personally ordered individual Eiffel Tower employees to leave their posts.
“BAPS should avoid places with women, women shouldn't be asked to leave!” fumed one netizen
