The Eiffel Tower was temporarily closed on Monday after employees went on strike following an incident in which female staff members were reportedly removed from their positions during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation.
Around 100 members linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) visited the iconic Paris landmark on Saturday.
According to staff union representative Diane Davoine, female employees were asked to leave their work areas when the delegation arrived, with male colleagues taking their places.
“During the visit of this delegation, women were asked to leave their places of work in order to place men there,” Davoine told Reuters.
She said management had since apologised to employees, but tensions continued to grow over the weekend.
Davoine said workers felt “humiliated” by the way the women had been treated and decided to strike on Monday to demand discussions with management and assurances that similar treatment would not happen again.
The Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), which operates the Eiffel Tower, confirmed that the visiting delegation had requested arrangements designed to limit interactions with women.
SETE acknowledged that such conditions should not have been accepted, saying they were inconsistent with the company's values and its commitment to gender equality.
“It is clearly not an acceptable practice,” SETE president Ariel Weil said.
“I restate the Eiffel Tower's commitment to republican values and to the equality of men and women.”
The controversy came as BAPS celebrated the consecration of its first major temple in France on Sunday in the Paris suburbs.
In a statement posted on X, the BAPS temple in Paris said the Eiffel Tower visit had been organised with the monument's team at the start of normal opening hours to avoid disrupting other visitors.
The organisation apologised “for any pain or inconvenience caused”, adding that it believed in “the universal values of mutual respect and service”.
BAPS describes itself as a spiritual and volunteer-based organisation promoting Hindu values and social service. It operates temples in several major cities worldwide, including London, Los Angeles and Sydney.
The incident has sparked political criticism in France.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said an investigation would be launched into the circumstances surrounding 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 in a post on X.
He stressed that equality between women and men must apply across Paris, including at the city's historic landmarks.
French hard-right leader Marine Le Pen also condemned the incident, saying France would never accept restrictions being placed on women because of a visitor's demands.
Former centre-right Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that no culture, religion or belief should determine where women can work or what role they can occupy.
National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet similarly criticised the reported treatment of female workers, saying women should not be forced to step aside to accommodate the demands of foreign visitors.
The dispute has renewed debate in France over gender equality, religious sensitivities and the responsibilities of public-facing institutions when hosting international groups.
Based on reporting by BBC