Eiffel Tower staff protest after Hindu delegation requests limited interaction with female employees

Employees at France’s Eiffel Tower launched a protest after a Hindu religious delegation visiting the monument over the weekend allegedly requested “limited interactions” with female staff.

The iconic monument was shut on Monday as the workers held a meeting over the incident which took place on Saturday.

A delegation of 100 people linked to Hindu group Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS had made a private visit to Eiffel Tower.

The General Confederation of Labour (CGT) trade union and staff alleged that some female employees “were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts they were replaced by men".

"And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present." They condemned the “workplace instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and rendered invisible on the basis of their gender".

Sete, the company operating the monument, said the delegation had requested that the visit be organised so that there are limited “interactions with women".

It acknowledged that the “conditions should not have been accepted” as they were “not in line with Sete’s values, now with the principle of equality between men and women,” reported France 24. The company added that it was ready to accept the “consequences”.

Baps monks practice celibacy, according to the organisation. "The purpose was not to discriminate against or reject women. In fact, it is a moral discipline to maintain a sadhu’s character for personal spiritual upliftment," they said.

“It means that a Swaminarayan sadhu (monk) could never talk, touch or associate with women.”

It said in a statement the visit to the Eiffel Tower was organised at the beginning of the day to avoid disrupting other visitors, due to the size of the group visiting the site. "To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower. ⁠Nevertheless, we sincerely apologise for any pain or inconvenience caused," the statement said.

“We are deeply committed to the universal values of mutual respect and service to others. We respect the concerns raised and take them very seriously,” it said.

BAPS is close to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and consecrated its first major temple in France on Sunday.

Mr Modi had congratulated the organisation on the consecration ceremony. “Today, in the capital of France, Paris, a magnificent Swaminarayan temple is being inaugurated. This inauguration is a new era of cultural relations between India and France,” Mr Modi said, addressing the gathering through a video message.

The episode has angered the staff and drawn criticism from French politicians. The matter is now under investigation from Paris city authorities.

Formed in 1905 by Shastri Yagnapurushdas, it enjoys a massive worldwide following with over 1,300 temple and 5,025 centres globally, according to its website. With international headquarters in Ahmedabad in India, it has regional hubs in North America, UK, Europe, Kenya as well as Sydney.

In August 1995, Pramukh Swami Maharaj inaugurated the Baps Shri Swaminarayan temple in London. He is believed to be the fifth spiritual successor of ascetic Swaminarayan, who lived from 1781 to 1830, and followers believe him to be manifestation of Hindu god, Krishna.

Baps recently inaugurated two temples in the US including one in Huntsville in May and another in Baltimore in August this year.

With tensions mounting over the weekend, the workers decided to meet on Monday, to demand open dialogue with management and ensure that women are not treated in this manner by the company again, she said.

Signs were put up at the base of the tower, informing the visitor that “the opening of the Eiffel Tower is delayed for operational reasons”. The tower receives nearly seven million visitors a year. While was shut all day on Monday, operations were normal on Tuesday.

Paris mayor, Emmanuel Gregoire, said that an investigation would be launched "as soon as possible"adding that the worker’s anger was legitimate.

"It is urgent that all light be shed on the facts that led to this protest," Mr Gregoire wrote.

French equality minister, Aurore Bergé, reacted angrily to the incident, writing on X: "In France, we do not ask women to erase themselves. No dogma, no religion is above the laws of the Republic."

Yael Braun-Pivet, the president of ⁠the National Assembly, wrote in a post on X: "Welcoming others never means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible."

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is a frontrunner in next year’s presidential election also said, France would “never accept that women’s presence be ‘limited’”.