Eiffel Tower reopens after protest over removing women staff - Al Jazeera

**Eiffel Tower Reopens After Controversy Over Female Staff Removal**

Paris – The Eiffel Tower reopened to the public on Saturday following a week‑long standoff that began when the monument’s management temporarily removed female staff from the site to accommodate a private visit by the international Hindu organization BAPS (Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha). The decision, announced by the tower’s operating authority, was intended to respect the group’s religious customs but triggered swift condemnation from gender‑rights advocates and political figures who saw it as a breach of France’s secular and egalitarian principles. Protesters gathered outside the tower, holding signs that read “Equality, Not Exclusion” and demanding the reinstatement of the women who had been sidelined for the visit.

The controversy quickly escalated beyond the Parisian skyline, drawing commentary from Indian politicians and diaspora leaders. Indian National Congress MP Priyanka Chaturvedi told *Hindustan Times* that the move was “not a reflection of how India thinks,” emphasizing that the nation’s commitment to gender equality should not be undermined abroad. Meanwhile, Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the CJP (Christian Janata Party), warned in *The Times of India* that allowing “regressive men” to dictate religious custodianship threatens both secularism and women’s rights. French officials, including Mayor Anne Hidalgo, reaffirmed the city’s dedication to “universal liberty, equality, fraternity” and ordered an immediate review of the tower’s protocol for future private events.

By Friday evening, the tower’s management announced that all female employees would be reinstated to their regular duties and that future visits by religious or cultural groups would be subject to a gender‑neutral policy. The reopening ceremony was marked by a brief speech from the tower’s director, who apologized for the disruption and pledged “full compliance with French law and the values that make Paris a beacon of inclusivity.” Visitors were welcomed back to the iconic landmark, and the incident is now being examined by a parliamentary commission tasked with safeguarding secular practices in public spaces.