Eiffel Tower Chief to Resign After Female Staff Removed During Hindu Delegation Visit

Patrick Branco Ruivo, the head of the company that operates the Eiffel Tower, will resign from his position at the end of the year following a controversy over the removal of female employees during a visit by a Hindu religious group. The director general of the Eiffel Tower Operating Company (Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel), or SETE, Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has held the position since 2018, announced his resignation on Tuesday. SETE said an internal investigation found “operational flaws and shortcomings” in the planning of the visit, which resulted in female staff being removed from certain areas.

The controversy emerged when a delegation from the Hindu religious organization Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, commonly known as BAPS, visited the landmark in early September. BAPS has close ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The delegation, consisting of around 100 people, was in France to attend ceremonies marking the opening of BAPS’s first temple near Paris. Female employees later said they had been instructed to stay away from certain parts of the landmark while the delegation was present. Some women were removed from their assigned posts and replaced by male colleagues.

In a statement, Eiffel Tower staff said the instructions resulted in “female employees being segregated on the basis of their gender during the visit, replaced by other employees and kept out of sight.” The statement added: “Some were told to leave their workstations and move to other areas. In some locations, men were assigned in their place, and all female employees were instructed not to pass through or enter certain areas for as long as the delegation remained present.” SETE later acknowledged that the delegation had requested that “interactions with women” be limited. However, the company said that “these conditions should not have been accepted.” The incident prompted Eiffel Tower employees to stage a one-day strike on September 7, forcing the landmark to close.

The incident was widely condemned by French political figures. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire described the decision to remove female employees as “a foolish, unjust and unacceptable decision” and ordered two investigations. He said: “It is unacceptable to tolerate such conditions. These are neither my values nor the values that the Eiffel Tower should represent, where everyone, regardless of gender, should be able to move around and work freely without discrimination between men and women.”

Marine Le Pen, a leading far-right candidate in next year’s presidential election, said: “In France, we will never accept restrictions being placed on the presence of women.” Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, also criticized the move. She said: “I will not allow women to be forced to step aside to meet the demands of foreign guests.” BAPS, meanwhile, apologized for “any discomfort or inconvenience caused by the incident” and said it believed in “universal values of mutual respect and service.” The organization operates temples in several major cities around the world. Reports said BAPS had requested restrictions on “interactions with women” because the delegation included several sadhus, including the group’s 93-year-old spiritual leader, Mahant Swami Maharaj, whose religious vows prohibit him from having contact with women.

Meanwhile, Ariel Weil, mayor of the Paris Centre district and chairman of SETE, said he had asked the company to establish a “dedicated protocol department” as well as launch new measures and training programs to promote gender equality. Weil said: “The coming months will give us an opportunity to prepare for the transition in leadership under the best possible conditions.”  The Eiffel Tower is owned by the City of Paris and attracts around seven million visitors each year. Patrick Branco Ruivo previously served as an adviser to former Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. He was appointed director general of SETE in November 2018 and will remain in the position until the end of 2026.