The iconic Eiffel Tower remained closed to the public this past Monday after staff initiated a strike in protest of management's handling of a visit by a Hindu religious group. Employees expressed their outrage after being instructed to remove female staff members from view during the delegation’s visit, which coincided with a spiritual event organized by the BAPS movement. Workers reported being ordered to vacate their posts, hide in back areas, or be replaced by men to minimize contact with the visitors, a move that the staff union labeled as both shocking and discriminatory.

In response to the backlash, the Tower’s operating company, SETE, admitted that it had mistakenly agreed to the delegation’s request to limit interactions with women, acknowledging that these conditions were entirely inconsistent with their values and French principles of gender equality. City officials, including SETE president Ariel Weil and Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire, have condemned the incident as unacceptable and have promised a formal investigation. While the monument was forced to pause operations for the day, normal service is expected to resume on Tuesday.