The Eiffel Tower reopens after the strike over the exclusion of female workers during the visit of a Hindu delegation
Quick Look
- The Eiffel Tower reopens today after being closed yesterday due to the strike of employees, who denounced the exclusion of female workers during the visit of a delegation from the Hindu religious movement Baps, which had asked to limit interactions with women.
- The mayor of Paris announced an investigation, while the BAPS apologized.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Hindu religious movement Baps consecrated its first major temple in France in Bussy-Saint-Georges, near Paris, and organized a cultural visit to the Eiffel Tower with a delegation that had asked to limit interactions with women.
The Eiffel Tower reopens today after being closed for the whole day yesterday due to the strike of employees, "shocked" by the exclusion of female workers during the visit to the monument of a delegation from a Hindu religious movement, with the group offering its apologies. At the center of the controversy is the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (Baps), a Hindu spiritual movement criticized by part of the Indian diaspora for its positions considered particularly conservative and nationalist. On Sunday the movement consecrated its first large temple in France, in Bussy-Saint-Georges, near Paris. The previous day, one of his delegations had participated in a cultural procession by boat on the Seine and visited the Eiffel Tower. Monument employees reported "professional instructions that led to female workers being excluded, replaced and made invisible because of their gender" during the visit.
Paris mayor launches investigation: "Unacceptable decision"
The company that manages the Eiffel Tower (Sete) acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had asked to organize the visit by limiting "interactions with women" and admitted that "these conditions should not have been accepted". "It is not acceptable that such conditions can be tolerated," said the socialist mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Gregoire, announcing that an investigation would be launched "as soon as possible". After a meeting between staff and management yesterday, the Eiffel Tower remained closed all day. The reopening under normal conditions is expected this morning. "We will shed light on what happened and draw the consequences", assured the president of Sete, Ariel Weil.
Apologies and criticism from the Indian diaspora
In the meantime, BAPS has presented its apologies. “We wish to extend our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or upset by this situation,” the movement said, assuring that it understood the concerns raised and took them “very seriously.” The group stated that the visit had been organized "at the beginning of normal opening hours, to limit any inconvenience to other visitors as much as possible". The presence of BAPS in France is contested by part of the Indian diaspora. The Indian Alliance Paris association described the inauguration of the new temple as a new offensive of "Hindu supremacism", accusing the movement of promoting "a conservative and Hindu nationalist worldview".
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Paris City Council investigation will lead to clearer guidelines on visit requests that discriminate by gender
Likely · Within weeks
BAPS will avoid making similar requests in the future so as not to further damage its image in France
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- What will be the consequences of the investigation launched by the City of Paris?
- Will Sete change its policies to avoid similar requests in the future?
- How will the Indian diaspora respond to the BAPS apology?
