- BAPS requested in advance that interactions with women be limited during a Saturday visit.
- Eiffel Tower management ordered female staff to keep out of sight.
- A one-day strike was called in response to the management's order.
- The Eiffel Tower reopened after the strike.
- City Hall apologized for breaching France’s republican principle of equality and ordered a full inquiry.
- BAPS apologized, stating nobody was refused access and offering sincere apologies to anyone hurt or offended.
- The public-owned Eiffel Tower operating company (SETE) acknowledged that BAPS had requested that interactions with women be limited, and said it should not have accepted these conditions as they are not in keeping with SETE’s values or the principles of equality and neutrality.
The Eiffel Tower's management is under fire after female staff were instructed to hide during a visit by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) group, leading to a one-day strike by workers.136
City Hall has apologized for violating France's principles of equality and initiated an inquiry.5
Workers expressed outrage, stating they were sidelined and replaced by male colleagues during the visit. In a statement, they said, “Some were asked to leave their posts and wait in separate rooms. In some posts, women were replaced by men.”
The Eiffel Tower's operating company, SETE, acknowledged that BAPS had requested limitations on interactions with women, which they admitted should not have been accepted. They stated, “They are not in keeping with SETE’s values or the principles of equality between women and men.”7
The BAPS group later issued an apology, asserting, “To our knowledge, nobody was refused access to the Eiffel Tower at any moment. Nevertheless, we offer our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or offended by this situation.”
The incident has sparked a broader discussion about gender equality and the treatment of female employees in public spaces, with workers emphasizing that the Eiffel Tower, as a national symbol, should exemplify the values of equality and nondiscrimination.
“City Hall, which operates the landmark, apologized for breaching France's republican principle of equality and ordered a full inquiry. The BAPS spiritual movement, whose members made the request, said nobody was refused access and offered sincere apologies to anyone hurt or offended.”
The Guardian
