The Eiffel Tower shut down after staff went on strike following allegations that female employees were sidelined during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation, reports said.
The dispute reportedly involved around 100 people associated with BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha), a prominent Hindu spiritual organisation. According to reports, the delegation requested that arrangements be made to limit interactions with women during its visit.
Eiffel Tower employees alleged that female workers were instructed to leave their workstations, avoid certain areas and, in some cases, were replaced by male colleagues. Union representatives criticised the arrangements, saying they effectively pushed female employees out of their normal duties.
The tower's operating company, Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), acknowledged that the conditions requested for the visit had been accepted. However, management later said that the decision "should not have been accepted" because it conflicted with principles of gender equality.
The incident triggered a strong political response in France.
The French capital's socialist mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said on X it was "unacceptable" that the Tower management agreed to the delegation's conditions, and said an investigation would be launched.
French Equality Minister Aurore Berge reacted angrily on X.
"In France, we do not ask women to erase themselves. No dogma, no religion is above the laws of the Republic," she wrote.
Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen also criticised the incident, saying France would "never accept that women's presence be 'limited'.
Gabriel Attal, a centrist rival to become president, said that "in France, no culture, no belief, no religion, nothing and no one can come and dictate to women what their place should be".
The Eiffel Tower remained closed to visitors throughout Monday as workers went on strike. It resumed normal operations on Tuesday after management apologised to staff.
With inputs from AFP