Hindu group visits Eiffel Tower to demand less contact with women triggers French employee strike

Hindu monks from BAPS participated in a religious ceremony in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on the 3rd, and then held a ceremonial flotilla parade on the Seine River. (AFP)

The landmark Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, was temporarily closed on the 7th due to an employee strike. The trigger was a recent visit by a Hindu religious group that demanded less contact with women. As a result, some female employees were forced to leave their duty positions and were replaced by men, causing strong dissatisfaction.

The BBC reported that about 100 visitors belonging to the Hindu "Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS)" visited the Eiffel Tower on the 5th.

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Union representative Diane Davoine said that after the delegation arrived, female employees were asked to leave their original duty positions and men were asked to take their place. She pointed out that such treatment made female employees deeply humiliated, and dissatisfaction continued to rise over the weekend, so the employees decided to go on strike and asked management to ensure that similar situations would never happen again.

SETE, the company responsible for operating the Eiffel Tower, confirmed that the religious group requested in advance to minimize interactions with women when arranging the itinerary. The company admitted that it should not accept this condition because the relevant arrangement was not in line with the company's values ​​and principles of gender equality, and it has apologized to its employees. SETE President Ariel Weil stressed that this approach is obviously unacceptable and that the Eiffel Tower will adhere to French republican values ​​and the principle of gender equality.

BAPS held a consecration ceremony for its first large-scale temple in France on the 6th in the suburbs of Paris. The BAPS Paris temple issued a statement afterwards, stating that the visit was scheduled at the beginning of the Eiffel Tower's normal opening hours to avoid disturbing other tourists, and apologized for any harm or inconvenience caused by the incident.

The incident also attracted the attention of French political circles. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said that the city government will investigate the visit arrangement and believes that the employees' dissatisfaction is legitimate, emphasizing that gender equality should apply to everyone across Paris.

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