Eiffel Tower Reopens After Staff Protest Over Removal of Female Employees

The Eiffel Tower reopened on Tuesday, September 8, following a closure on Monday caused by staff protests. The unrest began after female employees were sidelined or asked to make themselves invisible during a visit by a Hindu delegation from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement. SETE, the operating company for the monument, acknowledged that the delegation requested the visit be organized to limit interactions with women; the company later stated that these conditions should not have been accepted.

Staff members reported that some women were asked to leave their posts and were replaced by men, while others were instructed not to cross certain areas while the delegation was present. The BAPS organization apologized for any pain or inconvenience caused, though it maintained that no one was prevented from accessing the tower. The incident coincided with the BAPS movement opening its first major temple in France near Paris.

French officials and political figures condemned the event. Minister Delegate for Equality Aurore Berge stated that women are not asked to erase themselves in France. Centrist candidate Gabriel Attal and far right candidate Marine Le Pen both criticized the incident, asserting that no religion or culture can dictate the place of women in France.

Reporting on the event varied by political lean. Center lean outlets focused on the factual sequence of the closure and the resulting debate. A center left outlet provided detailed accounts of the staff's grievances and the political reactions. A center right outlet framed the event as a broader struggle for Europe to defend Enlightenment values against religious fanaticism.