Eiffel Tower Closed as Workers Strike Over Gender Discrimination

The Eiffel Tower in Paris was closed to visitors on Monday after employees launched a strike protesting the removal of female workers during a tour by a Hindu religious delegation. Staff members expressed outrage over what they described as discriminatory instructions that sidelined and rendered female employees invisible based on their sex.

Approximately 100 members of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement were scheduled for the visit. The tower’s operating company, SETE, confirmed that the group had requested limited interaction with women as part of their itinerary.

In a statement, the striking workers condemned the professional directives that led to the exclusion, arguing that such measures violated fundamental principles of equality. Visitors arriving at the site encountered signs stating that access was delayed for operational reasons.

Emmanuel Gregoire, the Socialist mayor of Paris, strongly criticized the incident, labeling it unacceptable. “Equality between women and men will never end at the foot of our historic monuments, nor anywhere else in this city,” Gregoire stated.

SETE has since apologized for the decision. Company head Ariel Weil, who also serves as an elected official in Paris, acknowledged the error, telling the AFP news agency that SETE would draw necessary conclusions from the event. He emphasized on his X account that no religious motive could justify gender-based distinctions in welcoming the public.

Weil added that conditions restricting interactions with women should not have been accepted. The iconic monument, which attracts roughly seven million visitors annually, remained shut for the duration of the strike but is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday, according to a staff representative.