Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of the Eiffel Tower since 2018, announced his departure effective at the end of the year following controversy surrounding staffing arrangements during a recent visit by members of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a Hindu religious organization. The operator company SETE acknowledged that operational shortcomings led to the removal of female employees from their work areas during the delegation’s visit.
According to accounts from staff and union representatives, female employees were instructed to vacate their positions and avoid certain areas of the landmark while approximately 100 members of the religious group toured the facility. BAPS had requested that the visit be organized to minimize interactions with women, reflecting the organization’s doctrinal practice of separating men and women. The company later stated that accepting these conditions represented an unacceptable error in judgment.
The incident prompted an employee strike and drew sharp criticism from French political figures. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly, publicly objected to women being required to step aside for visiting groups. Emmanuel Gregoire, the Socialist mayor of Paris, characterized the decision as absurd, unjust, and unacceptable, initiating separate investigations into the matter.
BAPES subsequently issued an apology for any distress caused, emphasizing its commitment to universal values of mutual respect. SETE chair Ariel Weil announced that gender equality training programs and institutional measures would be implemented in the coming months. The organization, which maintains temples in major cities worldwide, traces its spiritual foundation to 18th-century Hindu teachings and practices centered on the concept of gender separation, though this approach has drawn criticism for being inconsistent with contemporary values.
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