Eiffel Tower to reopen after protest over removing women staff

By AFP and Reuters. Published On 8 Sep 20268 Sep 2026.

Key points

• The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement apologised for "any pain or inconvenience caused" by their visit.
• Yael Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, wrote in a post on social media: Welcoming others never means giving up our values.
• The Eiffel Tower is due to reopen after staff walked out over the removal of women staff during a weekend visit by a Hindu religious delegation.
• Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire remarked an investigation would be rolled out "as soon as possible".
• "To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower, " the organisation wrote on social media.

Notably, the Eiffel Tower is due to reopen after staff walked out over the removal of women staff during a weekend visit by a Hindu religious delegation.

For context, the operating firm that runs the Paris landmark, SETE, acknowledged that the group had requested the Saturday visit be organised to limit "interactions with women" and stated "these conditions should not have been accepted."

It remarked the landmark was set to reopen Tuesday after a session the previous day between staff and management over the incident. It has additionally drawn criticism from French politicians.

Notably, the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement apologised for "any pain or inconvenience caused" by their visit.

"Due to the size of our delegation, the visit was arranged in conjunction with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal operating hours to avoid disrupting or inconveniencing others."

Eiffel Tower staff remarked in an official note that they condemned "professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex" during the visit by the delegation.

"Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts they were replaced by men. And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present, " staff remarked, adding they were shocked to have been put in such a situation.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire remarked an investigation would be rolled out "as soon as possible". In a post on social media, he remarked he was aware of the employees' anger and agreed their dissatisfaction was legitimate.

Yael Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, wrote in a post on social media: "Welcoming others never means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible."

In short, eiffel Tower to reopen after protest over removing women staff is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.