SETE head resigns after scandal over removal of women from jobs at Eiffel Tower

The head of SETE, which manages the Paris Eiffel Tower, said he was leaving his position. Patrick Branco Ruvio made the decision amid outrage over an order to remove women from workplaces during a meeting of members of a Hindu religious group.

SETE said Branko Ruvio, who has led the company since 2018, will step down at the end of this year.

According to the firm, an internal investigation revealed that there were “operational lapses” in the organization of the meeting, which led to the removal of women from serving visitors. SETE called this move unacceptable.

During the visit, which took place in early September, about 100 members of the Hindu group Bochasanvasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) climbed the Eiffel Tower.

The BAPS religious movement was founded at the beginning of the twentieth century; during its events, women and men must always be separated from each other, for this there are also separate entrances to temples.

As SETE explained, the delegation of BAPS members asked that the visit be organized in such a way as to minimize “contact with women.” At the same time, the company stated that “it was impossible to agree to such conditions.”

Strike and general outrage

Representatives of the Eiffel Tower workers' union said that "women were asked to leave their jobs", as a result of which they felt humiliated.

According to employees, women working on the tower "were also instructed not to pass through certain areas when the delegation was there."

A visit by BAPS members led to the closure of the Eiffel Tower as its employees went on strike to protest the management's decision.

The President of the French National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, said after the visit: “I cannot agree that women are forced to leave in order to satisfy the demands of foreign visitors.”

The socialist mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, called SETE's decision "absurd, unfair and unacceptable" and ordered two separate investigations.

SETE board chairman Ariel Weil said Tuesday that he has demanded more gender equality training programs at the company.

“The next few months will allow us to prepare the leadership transition in the best possible way,” he explained why the company director is not leaving immediately.

BAPS previously apologized for "the distress and inconvenience caused". She added that she "believes in the universal values ​​of mutual respect and service to the community."

On its website, the organization describes itself as “a spiritual fellowship driven by volunteers and dedicated to the betterment of society” through Hindu values.

BAPS Temples exist throughout the world, including in London, Los Angeles and Sydney.