France's political establishment has reacted strongly to allegations that female Eiffel Tower employees were asked to leave their posts or avoid certain areas during a private Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) delegation visit on Monday. The Hindu group has denied the charge.
The landmark was shut following a staff strike over the reported treatment of women.
“In France, no culture, no belief, no worship, nothing nor anyone can come dictate to women their place," former French prime minister and 2027 presidential contender Gabriel Attal said.
“In France, we do not ask women to step aside,” equality minister Aurore Bergé wrote on X.
Far-right National Rally leader and 2027 presidential contender Marine Le Pen also criticised the reported restrictions on female employees. “In France, we will never accept that the presence of women be limited. The whole truth must be brought to light,” Le Pen said.
{{/usCountry}}Far-right National Rally leader and 2027 presidential contender Marine Le Pen also criticised the reported restrictions on female employees. “In France, we will never accept that the presence of women be limited. The whole truth must be brought to light,” Le Pen said.
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Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said he would launch an investigation into the circumstances of the visit. “I am taking note of the anger expressed by the employees of the Eiffel Tower, and I want to tell them that their discontent is legitimate,” he said.
“Equality between women and men will never stop at the foot of our historical monuments, nor anywhere in this city. It must be applied everywhere, for everyone,” Grégoire added.
Île-de-France regional president Valérie Pécresse also criticised the reported treatment. She said she was “shocked” that female employees were allegedly asked to stay out of the delegation's path.
“Shocked to learn that during a visit to the Eiffel Tower organized by Atout France, a Hindu delegation including religious figures requested that female employees be kept out of their path. I personally informed the representatives of BAPS in France that such practices are contrary to the laws of the Republic,” Pécresse said.
What happened at the Eiffel Tower?
On Monday, female employees were allegedly asked to leave certain workstations or avoid particular areas while the BAPS delegation passed through, according to staff representatives. In some cases, male employees were reportedly asked to switch places with them. Around 100 members of the Hindu religious organisation were visiting the landmark, according to French media.
Diane Davoine, a staff union representative, told Reuters, “During the visit of this delegation, women were asked to leave their places of work in order to place men there.” She said some women were asked to move elsewhere and avoid certain areas during the delegation's visit.
“We have the case of a female welcome agent who was removed from operating the elevator so that a man could be placed there," Davoine said.
Davoine said female employees “felt humiliated” with the instructions. Workers met management and staged a walkout on Monday, temporarily closing the landmark. The Eiffel Tower was set to reopen Tuesday after the staff strike.
The operator of the landmark, Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), acknowledged that the delegation asked for the visit to be organised in a way that limited “interactions with women”.
SETE president Ariel Weil said the “conditions should not have been accepted.” “It is clearly not an acceptable practice. I restate the Eiffel Tower's commitment to republican values and to the equality of men and women,” Weil told AFP news agency.
What does BAPS say?
BAPS has offered its “sincere apologies” on reports of denying women access to the Eiffel Tower or seeking to discriminate against female employees. On X, the BAPS Hindu temple in Paris said its visit had been coordinated in advance with Eiffel Tower teams and took place during the monument's opening hours.
"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. We are deeply committed to the universal values of mutual respect and service to others," BAPS said.
“We respect the concerns raised and take them very seriously.”
Tickets to be reimbursed
Management met employees at a general assembly on Tuesday morning and promised “a thorough review of the conditions under which this visit was organized” to draw “all necessary conclusions.”
Visitors who had tickets will be reimbursed, management said. After a second general assembly attended by “the evening team who suffered sexist violence on Saturday,” employees decided to return to work on Tuesday, CGT union general secretary Denis Vavassori told franceinfo.
“An agreement to regulate VIP delegations will be examined in the coming weeks,” he added.
BAPS events in France
Thousands of Hindu devotees associated with BAPS have taken part in events and processions across France in recent days. A procession “led by women and girls of all ages” was held in Bussy-Saint-Georges, while more than 5,500 devotees from around the world joined a boat procession on the River Seine, according to BAPS.
BAPS is known for its ornate temples worldwide. Its Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey, is the largest Hindu temple in the US, while its temple in Abu Dhabi is the largest Hindu temple in the UAE and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024.