Paris: BAPS apologises following the exclusion of female workers from the Eiffel Tower
The Hindu delegation’s request to limit “interactions with women” had led to a workers’ strike on Monday at Paris’s most famous monument
Following a day-long strike, the Eiffel Tower has reopened today. The iron tower, an iconic landmark of the French capital, was at the centre of a news story that caused quite a stir: the request – which was granted – by a delegation from the Hindu religious movement Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) to have female staff removed during their visit.
What happened
Last weekend, BAPS was due to consecrate its first major temple in France on Sunday in Bussy-Saint-Georges, a town east of Paris. On the eve of the ceremony, on Saturday, a delegation from the Hindu movement visited the Eiffel Tower. And this is where the controversy erupted: staff at the monument had received “workplace instructions that led to female workers being excluded, replaced and rendered invisible on the basis of their gender”, according to the complaint they lodged. On Monday, following an internal meeting, the staff decided to go on strike in protest, resulting in the closure of the Eiffel Tower.
Reactions
The Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (Sete), the company that manages the monument, has acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had asked to organise the visit whilst limiting ‘interactions with women’ and has admitted that ‘these conditions should not have been accepted’. Sete will undertake an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the visit.
The Mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, commented harshly on the incident: “It is unacceptable that such conditions should be tolerated.” He, in turn, announced that an investigation would be launched as soon as possible. This view was shared by Diane Davoine, a representative of the left-wing trade union Confédération générale du travail (CGT), who described the instructions as “unacceptable”. The CGT condemned the incident, describing it as a “serious situation that runs deeply counter to the values of equality and non-discrimination”.
Baps’s apology
“We would like to offer our sincerest apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or upset by this situation,” the Hindu movement said in a post on X. “We are deeply committed to the universal values of mutual respect and service to others,” the post concludes.
