It's the most photographed monument in the world, and this month it made headlines for a reason the tourism board would rather forget. Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has run the Eiffel Tower's operating company since 2018, will leave at the end of the year. The company, SETE, said an internal probe found "operational flaws and shortcomings" in how a recent visit was organised, which led to the "unacceptable" removal of women staff.
On Sept 5, a delegation of about 100 people from the Hindu organisation BAPS visited the tower. The group strictly separates men and women. Staff later said that women employees, including those of contractors, were told to make themselves "invisible" to welcome the group. Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas, and at some posts they were replaced by men. SETE acknowledged that the delegation had asked for the visit to be organised to limit "interactions with women", and said those conditions should not have been accepted.
The tower closed to visitors on Monday, Sept. 7, after employees went on strike. A union representative said the women affected felt humiliated. The tower reopened the next morning after a meeting between staff and management. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said, “ "Equality between women and men will never end at the foot of our historic monuments, nor anywhere else in this city." Politicians of all stripes denounced what they called an attack on fundamental liberties, and BAPS's activities came under scrutiny.
BAPS apologised for "any pain or inconvenience caused". Its monks practise strict celibacy, which includes avoiding physical contact with women, though wider community members aren't bound by those rules. SETE chair Ariel Weil said the coming months would be used to prepare a leadership transition and to create a "dedicated protocol department", alongside new measures and training to promote gender equality.
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