France’s political establishment has reacted strongly to allegations that female Eiffel Tower employees were asked to leave their posts or avoid certain areas during a private Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) delegation visit on Monday. The Hindu group has denied the charge.
Far-right National Rally leader and 2027 presidential contender Marine Le Pen also criticised the reported restrictions on female employees. “In France, we will never accept that the presence of women be limited. “Shocked to learn that during a visit to the Eiffel Tower organized by Atout France, a Hindu delegation including religious figures requested that female employees be kept out of their path.
“In France, no culture, no belief, no worship, nothing nor anyone can come dictate to women their place,” former French prime minister and 2027 presidential contender Gabriel Attal said. “In France, we do not ask women to step aside,” equality minister Aurore Bergé wrote on X. The whole truth must be brought to light,” Le Pen said. Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said he would launch an investigation into the circumstances of the visit. “I am taking note of the anger expressed by the employees of the Eiffel Tower, and I want to tell them that their discontent is legitimate,” he said. Île-de-France regional president Valérie Pécresse also criticised the reported treatment. She said she was “shocked” that female employees were allegedly asked to stay out of the delegation’s path. I personally informed the representatives of BAPS in France that such practices are contrary to the laws of the Republic,” Pécresse said.
In some cases, male employees were reportedly asked to switch places with them. “It is clearly not an acceptable practice. Around 100 members of the Hindu religious organisation were visiting the landmark, according to French media.
SETE president Ariel Weil said the “conditions should not have been accepted. I restate the Eiffel Tower’s commitment to republican values and to the equality of men and women,” Weil told AFP news agency. On Monday, female employees were allegedly asked to leave certain workstations or avoid particular areas while the BAPS delegation passed through, according to staff representatives.
