Eiffel Tower Closed Over Sidelining of Women

The Eiffel Tower closed on Monday, September 7, 2026, after staff staged a walkout to protest alleged instructions that led to female employees being sidelined during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation over the weekend. The closure of the iconic Parisian landmark disrupted operations and prompted an investigation into the incident. The dispute began on Saturday, September 5, 2026, when a delegation of approximately 100 people associated with the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu movement visited the tower. According to union representatives, female employees were asked to move away from their workstations or be "made invisible" to limit interactions with the visiting group. Staff members condemned these actions in a statement, describing them as "professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex." SETE, the company that operates the Eiffel Tower, acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested the visit be organized to limit interactions with women. The company stated that these conditions should not have been accepted.