Staff at the Eiffel Tower in Paris went on strike over allegations that female employees were removed from the premises during a visit by a Hindu religious group, workers and management said.
The strike stems from a private visit by a delegation of about 100 people linked to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swami Narayan Sanstha (BAPS), a religious group whose representatives were in France for festivities related to the inauguration of a temple in the Paris suburbs.
Condemning the action, Eiffel Tower staff said in a statement, “Instructions were given to female employees of the Eiffel Tower and to female employees of contractors to make themselves invisible in order to welcome this delegation.”
“Some 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,” it added.
SETE, the company that oversees the operations of the Eiffel Tower, acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested limited interaction with women during their visit and said such conditions should not be accepted.
The conditions “were not in line with SETE’s values, nor with the principles of equality between men and women,” the company said, promising to accept the “consequences.”
Speaking to reporters, SETE President Ariel Weil, who is also a social activist and socialist elected official in Paris, said, “It is clearly not an acceptable practice. I restate the Eiffel Tower’s commitment to republican values and to the equality of men and women.”
BAPS is a spiritual, volunteer-driven fellowship dedicated to improving society through individual growth by fostering Hindu values of faith, service and global harmony. It is a registered charitable trust in India and an NGO in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
The Hindu group consecrated its first major temple in France on Sunday near Paris. In a statement following the protests, it said it respected the concerns raised and took them seriously.
“Given the size of our delegation, the visit was organised in coordination with the Eiffel Tower teams at the start of normal opening hours in order to limit as much as possible any disruption for other visitors. To our knowledge, at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone,” the statement read.
It further apologised to anyone who had been hurt by the incident or faced inconvenience due to their visit.
In response to the protests, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announced an investigation into the matter. Taking to social media, he said he was aware of the employees’ anger and agreed that their dissatisfaction was legitimate.
“It is urgent that all light be shed on the facts that led to this protest,” his post read.
The Eiffel Tower, which receives nearly seven million visitors, according to its website, was closed to all visitors on Monday but will remain open as normal on Tuesday, according to a staff representative.