Eiffel Tower Closed After Staff Strike Over Religious Visit

The Eiffel Tower, Paris's main landmark, did not accept visitors on September 7 due to a staff strike.

Consensus

• The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors on September 7.
• The closure was due to a strike by employees.
• The strike was triggered by a request during a visit by the BAPS religious group on September 5.
• Employees were asked to avoid visibility or be replaced by male staff during the visit.
• The company managing the Eiffel Tower, SETE, acknowledged that the conditions were unacceptable.
• The incident sparked public and political backlash.
• The Eiffel Tower reopened on September 8.
• The BAPS organization apologized for the inconvenience but denied demanding restrictions on access.

Points of divergence

• The strike was prompted by the administration's decision to limit the presence of female employees during the visit, and the employees demanded that the women not be removed from their posts or restricted to certain zones. — vm
• The employees were asked to be 'hidden' during the visit, with some instructed to leave their posts and others replaced by men, and the company SETE admitted that the conditions were unacceptable. — meduza
• The Eiffel Tower became 10 cm taller due to extreme heat, which occurred prior to the incident. — vm
• The BAPS group requested limited interaction with women during the visit, but did not demand that anyone be excluded from the site. — meduza
• The decision to accept the conditions was reportedly made by SETE director Patrick Branco Ruivo, though the company denied this. — meduza

Coverage (2 sources)

• Eiffel Tower temporarily closed after employee strike over Hindu visit — Вечерняя Москва
• Eiffel Tower did not accept visitors all day due to staff strike. This is a protest against attempts to 'hide' the tower's female employees during an excursion of Hindus, who asked to limit their contact with women — Meduza

Key entities

• Eiffel Tower
• BAPS
• Paris
• Agence France-Presse