The Eiffel Tower was forced to close on Monday, September 7, 2026, after staff walked off the job in protest over the removal of female employees during a private visit by a Hindu religious group, according to management and union representatives. The shutdown of Paris’s most famous landmark followed a delegation’s request to limit interactions with women during a tour organized by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) movement.
Staff Strike Shuts Down Paris Landmark
According to Le Monde, staff at the Paris monument initiated a strike on Monday morning after learning that female colleagues had been sidelined, replaced, and made invisible during the weekend visit. Trade union representative Diane Davoine told Reuters that women were asked to leave their workstations so men could take their places. Workers were also instructed not to cross certain areas while the delegation was present.
The operating company that runs the tower, Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE), acknowledged that the BAPS delegation had requested a visit organized to limit interactions with women. SETE management admitted in statements reported by Agence France-Presse that “these conditions should not have been accepted” and conceded they were not in line with company values.
BAPS Response and Official Reactions
The BAPS spiritual movement, which inaugurated its first major temple in France near Paris on Sunday, September 6, 2026, issued a public apology. The organization stated that the visit was arranged at the start of normal opening hours to avoid disrupting other visitors given the large size of the delegation. “To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, we sincerely apologise for any pain or inconvenience caused,” BAPS said in a statement.
Paris officials condemned the handling of the visit. Emmanuel Grégoire wrote on X that the tower management’s agreement to the delegation’s conditions was “unacceptable.” SETE President Ariel Weil told AFP that authorities would investigate the incident fully to draw necessary conclusions.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs addressed the broader context of the temple inauguration during a press briefing on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that while authorities were aware of the temple opening, the specific dispute at the Eiffel Tower was “a matter purely between the entities concerned,” as reported by the Press Trust of India.
Operational Impact and Reopening
The Eiffel Tower, which welcomes approximately seven million visitors annually according to its official website, remained closed throughout Monday, September 7. Staff representatives confirmed to Le Monde that normal operations and ticket sales would resume on Tuesday, September 8, following internal dialogues and apologies issued by tower management to the affected workers.