Eiffel Tower chief to leave after women sidelined during Hindu visit

Branco Ruivo has headed the Eiffel Tower Operating Company, or SETE, since 2018. The public company manages the monument for the City of Paris.

An inquiry by an independent firm uncovered a series of operational failures linked to the 5 September tour. They resulted “in female staff being excluded from the visit that day, an unacceptable situation”, SETE said on Tuesday.

The decision to leave was his own, Branco Ruivo told the company's board, the French daily Le Figaro reported.

“At no point did I give any instruction aimed at sidelining or replacing women along this delegation's route,” said Branco Ruivo.

“Nevertheless, women were indeed sidelined, and I regret that.”

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Women out of sight

The dispute began with a private tour by a group from Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, a worldwide Hindu religious and civic organisation.

The visitors had asked for the visit to be organised to limit “interactions with women”, SETE acknowledged after the incident, adding that “these conditions should not have been accepted”.

Around 20 women were moved, unions said. Staff went on strike in protest on 7 September.

Female employees were “sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex”, tower staff said in a statement.

“Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts they were replaced by men. And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present.”

The findings of a separate inquiry by the City of Paris inspectorate have yet to be made public.

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Denial and apology

BAPS had been celebrating the inauguration of a traditional stone temple in the Paris region.

A request “that female employees be hidden, removed or excluded from the visit” was never made, BAPS said in a statement to the Associated Press.

“The religious practices of our monks were explained to the Eiffel Tower's management in advance," it added.

"These are personal spiritual commitments, which our monks observe without seeking to impose them on others. They do not require women to be excluded from the places they visit.”

An apology for “any pain or inconvenience caused” has since been issued by the movement.

Among the measures requested by SETE chair Ariel Weil on Tuesday are gender-equality training and a dedicated department to handle protocol visits.

“The coming months will allow us to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions,” Weil said.

(with newswires)