Eiffel Tower director resigns after religious scandal

The head of SETE, the company that manages the Eiffel Tower in Paris, has announced his departure. Patrick Branco Ruivo made this decision amid outrage over an order to remove women from their workplaces during a meeting with members of a Hindu religious group, writes the BBC.

SETE stated that Branco Ruivo, who has led the company since 2018, will leave his post at the end of this year.

According to the company, an internal investigation revealed that "operational errors" were made during the organization of the meeting, which led to women being excluded from serving visitors. SETE called this step unacceptable.

During the visit, which took place in early September, about 100 members of the Hindu group "Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha" (BAPS) ascended the Eiffel Tower.

The BAPS religious movement was founded in the early XX century. During its events, women and men must always be separate from each other; separate entrances to temples also exist for this purpose.

As SETE explained, the delegation of BAPS members requested the visit be organized in a way that would minimize "contact with women." However, the company stated that "such conditions should not have been agreed to."

Strike and general outrage

Representatives of the Eiffel Tower workers' union stated that "women were asked to leave their workplaces," which made them feel humiliated. According to employees, women working at the tower were "also ordered not to pass through certain areas when the delegation was present."

The visit by BAPS members led to the closure of the Eiffel Tower, as its employees went on strike in protest against the management's decision.

French National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet stated after the visit: "I cannot accept that women are forced to step aside to satisfy the demands of foreign visitors."

The Mayor of Paris, socialist Emmanuel Grégoire, called SETE's decision "absurd, unjust and unacceptable" and ordered two separate investigations.

Ariel Weil, Chairman of SETE's Board of Directors, stated on Tuesday that he had requested additional gender equality training programs within the company.

"The next few months will allow us to best prepare for the change in management," he explained, regarding why the company's director is not leaving immediately.

BAPS had previously apologized for "the distress and inconvenience caused." It added that it "believes in the universal values of mutual respect and service to society."

On its website, the organization describes itself as a "volunteer-driven spiritual community dedicated to improving society" through Hindu values.

BAPS temples exist worldwide, including in London, Los Angeles, and Sydney.

Its beliefs are based on the teachings of Lord Swaminarayan — a spiritual teacher who lived in the late 18th century and took a vow of celibacy. Followers of BAPS consider him a reincarnation of Vishnu — the Hindu preserver god.

BAPS insists that the separation of men and women within the movement exists for the well-being of women themselves.

However, critics believe that 18th-century beliefs should not guide actions in the modern world, and removing women for a particular religious practice is discrimination.

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