After a day of strike, the Eiffel Tower was reopened today. The iron tower, an iconic place of the French capital, was at the center of a news story that caused a stir: the request – granted – of a delegation of the Hindu religious movement Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (Baps), to remove female workers during their visit.
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What happened
Last weekend Baps was to consecrate, on Sunday, its first large temple in France in Bussy-Saint-Georges, a location east of Paris. On the eve of the ceremony, Saturday, a delegation of the Hindu movement visited the Eiffel Tower. And this is where the case broke out: the monument’s employees had received “professional instructions that led female workers to be excluded, replaced, and made invisible because of their gender,” according to the complaint made by them. On Monday, following an internal meeting, the staff decided to strike in protest, resulting in the closure of the Eiffel Tower.
The reactions
The Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (Sete), the company that manages the monument, acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested to organize the visit limiting “interactions with women” and admitted that “these conditions should not have been accepted.” Sete will commit to conducting an investigation to clarify the circumstances under which the visit took place.
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The Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Gregoire commented on the episode harshly: «It is not acceptable that such conditions can be tolerated.» He also announced the opening of an investigation as soon as possible. This position was also shared by Diane Davoine, representative of the left-wing union Confédération générale du travail (Cgt), who spoke of “unacceptable” instructions. The Cgt condemned the event, calling it a “serious and deeply contrary to the values of equality and non-discrimination” situation.
Apologies from Baps
«We wish to extend our sincerest apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or disturbed by this situation,» the Hindu movement stated in a post on X. «We are deeply committed to the universal values of mutual respect and service to others,» the post concludes.
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