Authorities in France have opened an investigation after female employees at the Eiffel Tower were substituted with male colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious group.
A group of approximately 100 individuals associated with the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) visited the famous Paris landmark on Saturday.
Women were instructed to leave their workplaces and felt 'humiliated', according to staff union representative Diane Davoine.
The tower was shut on Monday after employees went on strike to express their anger. Ariel Weil, president of the company that operates the tower, criticized its managers for being 'a bit overzealous' in following the request without assessing whether it was 'inappropriate'.
Weil, who also serves as mayor of Paris Centre, told the French broadcaster Franceinfo on Tuesday that the incident was "utterly shocking and unacceptable."
She said an internal investigation will identify who was responsible for imposing these conditions and will ensure that it "never happens again."
According to a statement cited by the AFP news agency, monument staff reported that during Saturday’s visit, female employees were also instructed not to enter or pass through certain areas while the delegation was on site.
“Tensions escalated over the weekend, so on Monday morning the staff chose to convene, first, to initiate a dialogue with management, and second, to ensure that women are never subjected to such treatment at the company again,” Davoine said.
Société d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE), the company that operates the Eiffel Tower, had earlier stated that the rules imposed on female employees did not reflect its values or align with the principles of gender equality.
On Sunday, BAPS inaugurated its first major temple in France, located in a suburb of Paris.
In a statement on X, BAPS explained that the visit was "organised in coordination with the Eiffel Tower team at the beginning of regular opening hours to avoid causing disruption or inconvenience to others."
The organisation expressed regret "for any pain or inconvenience caused" and added that it upholds "the universal values of mutual respect and service."
On its website, the organization portrays itself as a spiritual, volunteer-led fellowship committed to bettering society through Hindu principles.
It operates temples in major cities worldwide, such as London, Los Angeles, and Sydney.
Its doctrines are rooted in the teachings of Lord Swaminarayan, a celibate ascetic from the late 18th century whom followers revere as an incarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu deity associated with preservation.
The movement enforces a strict separation between men and women, including during temple rituals and through the use of different building entrances.
BAPS maintains that this segregation was introduced for women’s benefit, but critics argue that beliefs rooted in the 18th century are incompatible with modern society, and that excluding women under the pretext of religious practice is discriminatory.
French politicians have denounced the incident that occurred on Saturday. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly, stated: "I refuse to allow women to be forced to step aside to satisfy the demands of foreign visitors."
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen declared: "In France, we will never accept that women’s presence be ‘restricted’." Former centre-right Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who has announced his intention to run for the presidency next year, said: "In France, no culture, no belief, no religion, nothing and no one can dictate to women what their place should be."
