Paris' Eiffel Tower Resumes Operations Following Gender Equality Dispute

The renowned Eiffel Tower in Paris welcomed visitors again on Tuesday, following a temporary closure triggered by a staff walkout. The industrial action was a response to directives that saw female employees excluded during a recent visit by a Hindu religious organisation, as reported by AFP. By approximately 9:30 am on Tuesday morning, tourists were observed navigating the security checks at the base of the monumental structure, an AFP journalist confirmed. The official website of the Eiffel Tower also announced its reopening, stating the landmark was “open today”.

The iconic Parisian edifice had ceased operations on September 7, 2026, when its employees initiated a strike. This protest was against specific instructions demanding that women staff members step aside or be replaced, and avoid certain zones, while a delegation from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) — a global Hindu body based in Ahmedabad, India — toured the site on Saturday. Workers vocally condemned these directives, asserting that their female colleagues were marginalised and prevented from performing their duties freely.

SETE, the company responsible for the Tower's operations, acknowledged the requests made by the visiting delegation. However, SETE firmly stated that such conditions were “unacceptable” and fundamentally inconsistent with the Tower's core principles of gender equality.

Reacting to the alleged incident, France’s Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination, Aurore Bergé, described the occurrence at the Eiffel Tower as “unacceptable.” She further emphasised her stance on X, declaring, “In France, gender equality is neither negotiable nor subject to varying standards. It is a principle, and there are no exceptions to it.” According to its website, the BAPS organisation has seen thousands of its Hindu adherents participate in various events and processions across France recently.