The Eiffel Tower remained closed on Monday after staff went on strike, protesting the treatment of their women employees following the visit of Gujarat-based BAPS saints to Paris.
The strike was carried out to protest the removal of women employees from their workstations to make room for a delegation from the Gujarat-headquartered Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), which had organised a function to mark the temple’s inauguration.
The Eiffel Tower, a symbol of Parisian identity and one of the world’s most popular landmarks, drew criticism when staff claimed management was imposing discriminatory gender-related practices.
The strike came after a delegation of sadhus and ascetics associated with BAPS, which had just consecrated its’ first major Hindu temple in France, visited the suburbs of Paris on Saturday.
The temple was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a video conference. At the ceremony, Prime Minister Modi said it was a fortune to be taking part with BAPS and hailed the event as a new milestone in India’s relations with France. He said the temple would enhance France’s diversity. However, instead of fostering diversity, the Eiffel Tower had to remain shut, with women claiming inequality. His full speech can be found here: (https://www.narendramodi.in/text-of-prime-minister-narendra-modi-s-remarks-during-inauguration-of-swaminarayan-hindu-temple-in-paris-608717).
Controversy arose when it was claimed by the staff of the Eiffel Tower that the female employees had been told “to make themselves invisible in order to welcome this delegation in the area. “Some had been asked to leave their posts and go to other areas,” the staff members were quoted by international news agencies like AFP, conveying their shock and dismay.
In a number of instances, men took the women’s places, and it was reportedly stated that all female staff were to avoid certain areas while the delegation was there.
SETE, the company that manages the Eiffel Tower, admitted that the BAPS delegation had asked for arrangements designed to reduce « interactions with women »; the company stated that these conditions were in breach of its values and of France’s principle of gender equality and said that « such conditions should not have been accepted
SETE stated that it would “accept the consequences” of the incident as demands for accountability increased.
In a statement, BAPS said it respected “the concerns raised” and added that, as far as it knew, no one had been kept from accessing the Eiffel Tower.
BAPS expressed regret about “any pain or inconvenience” it may have caused and once again stated its commitment to the universal values of respect and service. However, they did not mention or refer to the women issue.
The mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, denounced the incident and stressed that both men and women should be able to move about at public monuments without any discrimination on the grounds of gender.
“As far as our historical monuments and indeed nowhere in this city will equality between women and men stop,” Grégoire stated, “it must be put into practice everywhere for everyone”, he said adding that an official inquiry would be launched into the incident.
The French minister for Equality, Aurore Bergé, stated on social media: “In France we do not ask women to erase themselves. No dogma, no religion is above the laws of the Republic.”
The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, founded by Bhagwan Swaminarayan more than 200 years ago in Gujarat, currently has over 5,000 centres worldwide and over a million followers. Its ascetics adhere to a strict list of five conditions of discipline that include rule of celibacy, which involves avoiding all contact and interaction with women. (the discipline code: https://www.swaminarayan.org/philosophy/discipline/).
Also Read: Girl ‘Locked’ In Washroom Of Swaminarayan’s Pramukh Swami Centre Hostel
