The Eiffel Tower was closed on Monday after staff went on strike in protest of a decision to remove female employees during a Saturday visit by about 100 members of a Hindu religious group. Reports say the delegation was then escorted only by male staff on the tower's third floor. Paris officials condemned the move, vowed an inquiry, and the tower operator acknowledged the decision was wrong. The reopening date remains unclear.
Eiffel Tower Closed After Staff Strike Over Removal Of Female Employees During Religious Visit
FILE PHOTO - The Eiffel Tower. (is associated with: «Eiffel Tower staff strike after female workers removed for Hindu group») Michael Evers/dpa
The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors on Monday after employees staged a strike in protest at a decision to withdraw female staff from part of the monument during a weekend visit by a religious delegation.
The landmark's official website cited "operational reasons" for the temporary closure, but French daily Le Parisien reported that the strike followed an incident on Saturday when female employees were asked to step back from the tower's third floor at the request of about 100 members of a Hindu religious group.
According to the report, the delegation was then escorted only by male staff for the remainder of the visit, a move that staff representatives described as "completely unacceptable." The tower's operating company has since acknowledged it made the wrong decision.
Officials Demand Answers
The episode prompted swift condemnation from local officials. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said he supported the protesting employees and announced an inquiry, stressing the principle that gender equality must be upheld at public monuments.
"Equality between women and men will never end at the foot of our historic monuments, nor anywhere else in this city. It must apply everywhere, to everyone," Grégoire said.
Ariel Weil, mayor of central Paris and chairman of the firm that runs the Eiffel Tower, urged clarity and said on X that "no motive of a religious order could justify a distinction based on gender or any other discriminatory consideration in welcoming the public."
Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France region, said she was shocked that an organized delegation "including religious figures" requested female employees be kept out of their path.
Next Steps
The operating company has acknowledged its mistake and officials said an investigation will be opened. It remained unclear when the Eiffel Tower would reopen to visitors following the strike.
Facts: Female staff reportedly withdrawn from the third floor at the delegation's request; group of around 100 visitors; strike closed the landmark on Monday while inquiries proceed.
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