The Eiffel Tower in Paris was closed on Monday after staff went on strike to protest the exclusion of female workers during a visit by a Hindu religious group.

Visitors to the tower on Monday saw a message saying its opening was "delayed for operational reasons." The staff released a statement condemning "professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex" during the religious group's visit.

Around 100 men from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement were visiting the landmark. The operating company, SETE, said the group had requested a visit during which "interactions with women" would be limited.

Emmanuel Gregoire, Paris' Socialist mayor, called the incident "unacceptable." "Equality between women and men will never end at the foot of our historic monuments, nor anywhere else in this city," Gregoire said.

SETE admitted the decision was a mistake. "These conditions should not have been accepted," SETE said. Company head Ariel Weil told AFP that SETE will "draw the necessary conclusions" from the case. Weil himself is an elected official in Paris.

"No motive of a religious order could justify a distinction based on gender or any other discriminatory consideration in welcoming the public," Weil wrote on his X account.

The Eiffel Tower sees some seven million visitors a year. It was closed all day due to the strike, but will open again on Tuesday, a staff representative said.

Source: www.dw.com