The Eiffel Tower experienced a temporary closure on Monday following allegations from female staff who claimed they were instructed to 'make themselves invisible' and that some male colleagues were assigned to their posts during a private visit by a Hindu delegation over the weekend.
The incident occurred on Saturday when approximately 100 members of a group, in France for festivities related to the inauguration of a Hindu temple in the Paris suburbs, visited the landmark. Female staff members reported being asked by management to step away from their workstations to allow men to take their places. Some reports indicate that the delegation had requested limited interactions with women.
SETE, the operating company for the Eiffel Tower, stated that the conditions under which the staff were asked to work were not aligned with the company's values or the principles of equality between men and women. SETE president Ariel Weil, who is also an elected socialist official in Paris, called the practice unacceptable and reaffirmed the tower's commitment to republican values and gender equality.
In response to the allegations, staff organized a meeting on Monday morning to address the situation and ensure such treatment of women does not recur. The tower was later shut for "operational reasons," and management has since issued an apology to the workers, according to a staff union representative.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire announced that an investigation into the events would be launched promptly, acknowledging the employees' anger and deeming their dissatisfaction legitimate. French equality minister Aurore Berge and political figures like Marine Le Pen and Gabriel Attal have publicly condemned the alleged treatment, emphasizing that women's presence and rights in France are not subject to any dogma, religion, or external dictates.
