Employees at France’s Eiffel Tower launched a protest after a Hindu religious delegation visiting the monument over the weekend allegedly requested “limited interactions” with female staff. The iconic monument was shut on Monday as the workers held a meeting over the incident which took place on Saturday. A delegation of 100 people linked to Hindu group Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS had made a private visit to Eiffel Tower.
The General Confederation of Labour (CGT) trade union and staff alleged that some female employees “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." They condemned the “workplace instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and rendered invisible on the basis of their gender".
Sete, the company operating the monument, said the delegation had requested that the visit be organised so that there are limited “interactions with women". It acknowledged that the “conditions should not have been accepted” as they were “not in line with Sete’s values, now with the principle of equality between men and women,” reported France 24. The company added that it was ready to accept the “consequences”.
Baps monks practice celibacy, according to the organisation. "The purpose was not to discriminate against or reject women. In fact, it is a moral discipline to maintain a sadhu’s character for personal spiritual upliftment," they said.
It said in a statement the visit to the Eiffel Tower was organised at the beginning of the day to avoid disrupting other visitors, due to the size of the group visiting the site. "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," the statement said. We respect the concerns raised and take them very seriously,” it said.
BAPS is close to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and consecrated its first major temple in France on Sunday. Mr Modi had congratulated the organisation on the consecration ceremony. This inauguration is a new era of cultural relations between India and France,” Mr Modi said, addressing the gathering through a video message.
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