Eiffel Tower reopens after spat over removing women staff

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The Eiffel Tower reopened on Tuesday after staff walked out over the removal of women colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious group that later apologised, AFP reports.

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Shortly before 9:30 am on Tuesday, visitors were passing through security checkpoints at the foot of the tower, the AFP journalist said. On its website, the Eiffel Tower said the iconic monument was “open today”.

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The Eiffel Tower was closed on September 7, 2026, after staff went on strike in protest against instructions that female employees were asked to step aside during a visit by members of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a global Hindu organisation headquartered in Ahmedabad, India, which visited the landmark on Saturday.

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Employees condemned the decision, stating that women were sidelined, replaced, and instructed not to cross certain areas while the delegation was present.

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The operating company, SETE, acknowledged the delegation’s request but confirmed that such conditions were unacceptable and not aligned with the Tower’s values of gender equality.

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France’s Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination, Aurore Bergé, called the alleged incident at the Eiffel Tower “unacceptable.”

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“In France, gender equality is neither negotiable nor subject to varying standards. It is a principle, and there are no exceptions to it,” she wrote on X.

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Thousands of Hindu devotees associated with BAPS joined various events and processions in France in recent days, according to its website.

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AFP

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