Eiffel Tower-BAPS row: What really happened in Paris?

The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors on Monday after staff walked out over claims that female employees were sidelined during a private visit by a BAPS delegation. The monument was expected to reopen on Tuesday after talks between workers and management.

Here is what is known so far.

What happened during the visit?

Around 100 members of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) visited the Eiffel Tower on Saturday, September 5. The delegation was in France for events linked to the inauguration of a BAPS Hindu temple near Paris, according to Reuters.


The Eiffel Tower’s operating company, SETE, said the delegation had asked for the visit to be organised in a way that limited “interactions with women”. SETE acknowledged that the request had been accepted but said “these conditions should not have been accepted”, according to AFP.

The dispute concerns instructions given to Eiffel Tower employees during the visit. Staff representatives said some female workers were asked to leave their workstations, move to other areas or avoid specific parts of the tower. In some locations, they were replaced by male colleagues.

Diane Davoine, a union representative, told Reuters: “As the delegation passed through, women were asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places.”

The employees’ statement described the instructions as an attempt to make female workers “invisible” because of their sex.

Did BAPS remove the women?

There is no confirmed indication that BAPS members physically removed Eiffel Tower employees. The available accounts say the delegation made a request and that the tower’s management organised the arrangements.

The Eiffel Tower staff statement blamed “professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex”. SETE also accepted that the conditions should not have been approved.

The central question is therefore whether the tower’s management acted on a request that sought to limit contact between the delegation and female staff.

What did BAPS say?

BAPS addressed the controversy in a post on X published by the BAPS Mandir Swaminarayan Hindou de Paris account. The organisation said it understood the concerns raised and took them seriously.

It said the visit had been arranged with the Eiffel Tower team because of the size of the delegation and had been scheduled at the start of normal opening hours to minimise disruption to other visitors.

BAPS wrote:

“We understand the concerns expressed and take them very seriously. Given the size of our delegation, the visit was organized in coordination with the Eiffel Tower teams, at the start of normal opening hours, in order to limit as much as possible any disruption for other visitors. To our knowledge, at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone. Nevertheless, we wish to offer our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation. We are deeply committed to the universal values of mutual respect and service to others.”

The statement does not directly explain whether BAPS requested that female employees be moved or replaced.

BAPS’s reference to access being denied appears to concern visitors entering the Eiffel Tower. The staff’s complaint, however, concerns the treatment of female employees inside the workplace. These are separate issues.

Why did the Eiffel Tower close?

Staff members held a walkout on Monday, September 7, after tensions rose over the weekend. The tower’s website initially cited operational or exceptional reasons for the closure.

Davoine said employees wanted to open talks with management and ensure that female staff were not treated in the same way again, Reuters reported.

The closure was linked to a workplace protest over gender equality. It was not reported as a security shutdown or a protest by visitors.

What happens next?

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said an investigation would be launched to establish what happened. He backed the employees’ concerns and said equality between women and men must apply throughout the city.

The investigation is expected to examine who made the request, who approved the arrangements and what instructions were given to employees.

SETE said the landmark was due to reopen on Tuesday after a meeting between staff and management.

What is confirmed—and what is not?

The following facts are established by the statements and reports available so far:

• A BAPS delegation visited the Eiffel Tower on September 5.
• The visit was coordinated with the Eiffel Tower team.
• BAPS said the visit was scheduled early to limit disruption to other visitors.
• SETE said the delegation had requested arrangements limiting interactions with women.
• Female employees said they were asked to leave posts, avoid areas and, in some cases, were replaced by male colleagues.
• SETE said the conditions should not have been accepted.
• BAPS apologised but said it knew of no instance in which anyone was denied access to the tower.
• Staff protested, leading to the temporary closure.
• Paris authorities announced an investigation.

What remains to be established is the exact wording of the request, who approved it and whether the instructions to female employees were issued by Eiffel Tower management, contractors or others involved in organising the visit.