The Eiffel Tower in Paris temporarily closed on Sep. 7 after staff went on strike to protest the treatment of women employees during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation linked to BAPS.
The dispute began after around 100 people associated with the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, better known as BAPS, visited the Eiffel Tower on Sep. 5.
According to the Eiffel Tower staff union, women employees were asked to leave their posts during the visit. Some were replaced by male colleagues, while others were instructed not to enter or cross certain areas.
The incident angered staff, who said women had been sidelined because they were women.
Why were women asked to step aside?
The company that operates the Eiffel Tower, Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), confirmed that the BAPS delegation had requested that the visit be organized to limit “interactions with women.”
The request was linked to the religious practices of BAPS monks, known as sadhus. They take vows of celibacy and follow rules that include avoiding physical contact and certain interactions with women.
These rules apply to the sadhus and not to all BAPS followers.
However, the request resulted in women employees being moved from their usual positions during the visit.
SETE later acknowledged that the conditions “should not have been accepted” and were not in line with its principles of equality between women and men.
Eiffel Tower staff went on strike
The decision led to growing anger among Eiffel Tower employees over the weekend.
Diane Davoine, a union representative, said women had been asked to leave their workplaces so men could take their places. She said employees felt humiliated by how they had been treated.
On Sep. 7, staff walked out to demand a discussion with management and assurances that women would never again be treated this way at work.
The strike forced the Eiffel Tower to close to visitors for the day.
The landmark reopened on Sep. 8. An internal investigation is now examining how the arrangements for the BAPS visit were approved.
French politicians condemn the decision
The incident has drawn strong criticism from French political leaders. Paris Mayor said the employees’ anger was legitimate and called for an investigation.
Aurore Bergé, France’s minister responsible for gender equality, said women should not be asked to step aside because of religious demands.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly, also condemned the decision, saying that welcoming visitors should not mean giving up France’s principles or women’s place in public life. Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that no culture, belief or religion should be allowed to dictate women’s place in France.
What is BAPS?
BAPS is a global Hindu religious organization founded in India in 1907. The organization has temples and cultural centres around the world and runs religious, educational and charitable activities.
BAPS follows the Swaminarayan tradition. Its sadhus follow strict rules around celibacy and interactions between men and women.
BAPS also has a temple near Paris, which was inaugurated on September 6, one day after the Eiffel Tower visit.
Why is Narendra Modi being mentioned?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared virtually at the inauguration of the BAPS temple near Paris on Sep. 6.
He described the temple as a new milestone in cultural relations between India and France.
BAPS describes itself as an apolitical organization, but it has a close relationship with Modi and India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Modi has previously attended major BAPS temple events, including the inauguration of the organization’s temple in Abu Dhabi in 2024.
The timing of the Paris temple inauguration, just one day after the Eiffel Tower visit, has brought additional attention to the incident.
How has BAPS responded?
BAPS apologised to anyone who had been hurt or inconvenienced by the situation. The organization said the Eiffel Tower visit had been arranged with the monument’s management at the start of normal opening hours to avoid disrupting other visitors.
However, BAPS did not directly address the staff union’s account that women employees had been removed from their posts, replaced by men or told not to cross certain areas.
SETE has acknowledged that the conditions surrounding the visit should not have been accepted.
The investigation will now examine how the arrangements were made, while Eiffel Tower staff have called for assurances that women will not again be sidelined at work because of their sex.
