Eiffel Tower Closes After Group Asked Female Staff to 'Hide' Inciting Incident: Hindu Delegation Requests Limited Interaction with Women Staff, Leading to Tower Closure; Investigation and Calls for Equality Measures The Eiffel Tower, an iconic symbol of Paris and a major tourist attraction, was forced to close its gates this evening after a controversial incident involving its female workforce that unfolded over the weekend. Around 100 members of a Hindu delegation visited the tower in the vicinity of the inauguration of a new temple in the suburbs of Paris. According to reports from inside the tower, the management allegedly instructed women employees to hide from the group, as well as temporarily replacing some of them with male colleagues.The request, which was reportedly made to limit interactions between the delegation and the female staff, has been described by many as a violation of gender equality principles, with the tower's public relations team admitting that the conditions were unacceptable and incompatible with the values of the organization. The women who were told to leave their stations were left shocked and angry at the abrupt "disappearance" request, a claim they say was repeated by the company's leadership.According to Diane Davoine, a union representative for the hotel's staff, a meeting was held on Monday morning - the day after the incident - where employees demanded that no such practice ever be repeated and allowed management to discuss the change in policy. They also insisted that the delegation had no right to dictate the service arrangements for employees. The incident led to a temporary shutdown of the tower for "operational reasons".Inside the tower, an employee posted on social media the message "The opening of the Eiffel Tower is delayed for operational reasons. We apologize." The company that runs the monument, SETE, confirmed that the conditions placed by the Hindu delegation were not in line with the company's values or France's principle of gender equality. SETE president Ariel Weil said that "the practice is clearly not acceptable" and committed the company to a review. He reaffirmed a commitment to republican values and equality. The mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, stated that an investigation would be launched "as soon as possible".In a post on the social networking platform X, the mayor said he recognized the employees' anger and emphasised the urgency of clarifying the facts that led to the protest. French equality minister Aurore Berge also spoke out on X, writing that the "law of the Republic" protects women, and no religion or culture can ask women to erase themselves.Far‑right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen used the incident to condemn what she said was an "impermissible order" by a group to limit women's presence. Diplomat Gabriel Attal, a centrist candidate for the presidency, said that "no culture, no belief or religion has the right to dictate how women should act in France." The Eiffel Tower's closure marks a serious moment for the city's reputation and raises broader questions about the treatment of women in public institutions. The incident has already sparked a debate on gender equality, the role of cultural groups and how authority should be exercised when they visit iconic sites. The incident is likely to prompt a more detailed investigation, and the touristic heritage sector will be paying close attention to any changes in policy that arise from it.In the meantime, the tower's security will remain in place as part of ongoing operations while management reviews its protocols for staff protection and visitor interactions to avoid a recurrence of this controversy