Eiffel Tower shuts after female staff allegedly sidelined during Hindu group's visit
The Eiffel Tower was closed after staff protested against management for sidelining female employees during a visit by a Hindu religious group. The operator, SETE, admitted to accepting a request to limit interactions with women but stated such conditions should not have been permitted.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the tension between accommodating religious requests and upholding workplace equality and secular values in public institutions.
NEW DELHI: The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors on Monday after staff staged a walkout over allegations that female employees were moved away from their workstations during a visit by a Hindu religious group linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), as reported by Euronews.The iconic Paris landmark's operator, SETE, said the closure was due to "exceptional circumstances".The protest followed a visit by around 100 people linked to the BAPS Hindu movement, which inaugurated a new temple in France over the weekend.Diane Davoine, a union representative, told French TV that female workers had been "moved away from their workstations as the delegation passed by" during the group's visit on Saturday.Eiffel Tower employees condemned what they described as "professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex."SETE acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested that the visit be organised to…
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