Eiffel Tower reopens following staff strike over female workers removed during Hindu leaders’ visit

Female staff working at the Eiffel Tower were temporarily replaced with male counterparts to accommodate Hindu religious leaders, setting off a workers’ strike and prompting a government inquiry.

The Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel, the organization that manages the landmark, told reporters this week that monks with the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha requested limited “interactions with women” during their visit over the weekend.

Tower staff said “instructions were given to female employees” — including contractors — to “make themselves invisible.” The society said that, in retrospect, those requests “should not have been accepted,” and city officials are launching an investigation.

“These are neither my values, nor those that the Eiffel Tower should uphold, where everyone — regardless of gender — should be able to move about and act freely, without distinction between women and men,” Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said, affirming that the “discontent” over the decision was “legitimate.”

The Eiffel Tower reopens following a one-day strike over restrictions on women during a visit by a Hindu delegation, in Paris, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

He added: “Equality between women and men will never stop at the foot of our historical monuments, nor anywhere in this city. It must be applied everywhere, for everyone. I will ensure this, everywhere and without exception. An investigation will be launched as quickly as possible.”

Tower staff went on strike on Monday to protest the situation, but they returned to work on Tuesday.

BAPS issued a statement in the aftermath of the strike, saying it is taking concerns about its monks’ visit “very seriously” and apologizing for “any pain or inconvenience caused.”

“Due to the size of our delegation, the visit was arranged in conjunction with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal opening hours to avoid disrupting or inconveniencing others,” the statement read. “To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower. … We believe in the universal values of mutual respect and service.”

The group said in a separate statement that the accommodations were “never, at any point, intended as a request rooted in gender” and “any suggestion to the contrary does not reflect the spirit or values of our fellowship or the delegation.”

BAPS just opened the “first traditional Hindu temple in France” earlier this month, the BAPS Mandir Swaminarayan Hindou de Paris. The opening coincided with a multiday Indian culture festival.

BAPS is responsible for Hindu temple construction around the world, including massive worship sites in Europe and North America.

THIEVES STEAL FOUR RENOIR PAINTINGS FROM FRENCH RIVIERA MUSEUM, TWO STILL MISSING

The order of monks is currently under investigation in the United States by the FBI regarding allegations that it illegally trafficked Indian workers into the country and pushed them into forced labor constructing the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, walks accompanied by head saint of The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mahant Swami Maharaj, left, during the silver jubilee celebration of Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, India, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

The approximately 200 laborers — mostly from the “untouchable” caste of Indian society — claim they had their passports confiscated, were forced to work grueling shifts, and were paid only $1 an hour.

BAPS is widely considered a political ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has supported the group and its worldwide religious work.

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