Eiffel Tower Set to Reopen Following Staff Walkout Over Female Employee Removal

Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu monks take part in a religious ceremony in front of the Eiffel Tower before a ceremonial parade on the River Seine in Paris, France on September 3, 2026.

The Eiffel Tower is scheduled to reopen after employees walked out in protest of the removal of female staff during a weekend visit by a Hindu religious delegation. SETE, the operating company managing the Paris landmark, admitted that the group requested the Saturday visit to be arranged in a way that limited "interactions with women," stating that "these conditions should not have been accepted."

The monument is set to reopen on Tuesday following a meeting held the previous day between staff and management regarding the incident, which has also sparked criticism from French politicians. The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement issued an apology for "any pain or inconvenience caused" by their visit.

"To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower," the organization stated on social media. "Due to the size of our delegation, the visit was arranged in conjunction with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal operating hours to avoid disrupting or inconveniencing others."

Staff members at the Eiffel Tower released a statement condemning "professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex" during the delegation's visit. Employees reported that some staff were asked to leave their posts and move to other areas, replaced by men in certain locations, and instructed to avoid specific zones while the delegation was present. They expressed shock at being placed in such a situation.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire announced that an investigation would be launched "as soon as possible." In a social media post, he acknowledged the anger of the employees and confirmed that their dissatisfaction was completely legitimate. Yael Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, also wrote online, "Welcoming others never means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible."