Eiffel Tower reopens after spat over removing women staff

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.

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”.

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.

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

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.

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

“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.

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

AFP