In brief
A group of roughly 100 BAPS Hindu monks visited the Eiffel Tower in Paris and requested female staff be excluded from the venue, sparking anger and a strike by the workers who said they felt humiliated. The tower’s management said it had complied "overzealous" but will conduct a full investigation and ensure such requests never recur. Politicians from all parties condemned the incident, and the BAPS group released an apology, claiming it seeks universal values of mutual respect.
France has launched an investigation after female employees at the Eiffel Tower were instructed to leave their positions so that male staff could accommodate a delegation from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) on a recent visit.
The BAPS delegation, numbering around a hundred, arrived on Saturday and requested that women be barred from certain sections of the tower. Staff union representative Diane Davoine described the move as humiliating and said it prompted a strike the following Monday.
BAPS is a Hindu movement dating back to the 18th century that promotes strict separation of men and women during worship. Critics argue that such practices are discriminatory and out of step with contemporary French values of gender equality.
President of the tower’s operating company, Ariel Weil, said the managers were "overzealous" in complying with the request and called the incident "totally shocking and unacceptable". He pledged a full internal review and that similar conditions would never be allowed again.
In a statement to Franceinfo, Weil emphasised that the tower is "commit[ed] to equal treatment of all staff" and that incidents violating these values would be thoroughly investigated.
The tower closed the following Monday as staff protested the treatment of women. The strike aimed to open dialogue with management and prevent future occurrences.
Officials from France’s National Assembly, Marine Le Pen, former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, and others publicly denounced the incident, describing it as a violation of women’s rights and the values of the Republic.
BAPS issued an apology on X, stating that the visit had been arranged to minimise disruption and that the organisation upholds "universal values of mutual respect and service". The group highlighted its global presence with temples in London, Los Angeles, and Sydney.
On Sunday, BAPS opened its first major temple in France. While the organisation stresses that segregation of sexes serves women's benefit, many argue the doctrine is antiquated and discriminatory in modern society.
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