Europe · 08 September, 2026 · 2 min read
Eiffel Tower Staff Strike After BAPS Visit Excludes Female Workers in Paris
Eiffel Tower closed after staff strike over sidelining of female employees during BAPS visit Hindu delegation from BAPS visited weekend; organization apologized for the incident
Whether religious celibacy explains restrictions.
2 of 3 outlets skipped it: BAPS celibacy rules are described as explaining avoidance of women.
50outlets compared
Same story, two versions
tap a side to read it in full
Al Jazeera
“monks practise strict celibacy, which requires them to avoid physical contact with women”Read the original ↗
Reuters
“To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower.”Read the original ↗
Al Jazeera explains BAPS celibacy driving the restrictions, while Reuters focuses on access not being blocked. Most others stick to the workplace-mobility disp…
Eiffel Tower closure
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, was closed on Monday after staff went on strike to protest the exclusion of female workers during a visit by a Hindu religious group, with visitors seeing a message that its opening is "delayed for operational reasons."
“As the delegation passed through, women were asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places”
Around 100 men from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement were visiting the landmark, and Reuters reported that female employees were asked to step out of sight during the weekend visit.R
Union representative Diane Davoine told Reuters, "As the delegation passed through, women were asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places," and staff held a meeting over the incident after the monument was closed late on Monday.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said the investigation would be launched "as soon as possible," while the site operator SETE accepted that the decision was a mistake and said it would "draw the necessary conclusions" from the case.
Apologies and political backlash
BAPS said in a statement that the visit was arranged at the start of opening hours to avoid disrupting others, and it apologized for any pain or inconvenience, while Reuters reported that the staff protest and investigation angered staff and drew criticism from French politicians.R
Reuters quoted Yael Braun-Pivet, the president of the National Assembly, writing on X that "Welcoming others never means giving up our values," and it also reported that Gregoire said he was aware of the employees' anger and agreed their dissatisfaction was legitimate.R
TF1 Info reported that the Eiffel Tower reopened on Tuesday morning after the strike, and it said the religious organization apologized while minimizing its responsibility for the exclusion of female staff.
DW reported that Eiffel Tower operator SETE said "These conditions should not have been accepted," and it added that company head Ariel Weil told AFP that SETE will "draw the necessary conclusions" from the case.
Investigation and what’s at stake
Paris city authorities launched an investigation into the incident after the Eiffel Tower was closed late on Monday, and Reuters reported that Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said the investigation would be launched "as soon as possible."R
“as soon as possible”
RFI said the operating company SETE acknowledged it was wrong to accept the conditions and opened an internal investigation, with SETE president Ariel Weil telling Francinfo that the incident was "totally shocking and unacceptable."
The controversy also prompted a broader dispute over gender equality in public life, with Reuters reporting that Gregoire said "Equality between women and men will never end at the foot of our historic monuments, nor anywhere else in this city."R
In parallel, the Eiffel Tower’s operator said it had accepted a request to limit "interactions with women," and multiple outlets tied the closure to the staff protest over that directive, while the monument reopened on Tuesday after the meeting between striking staff and management.