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The chief executive of the company operating the Eiffel Tower will step down at the end of the year following a backlash over female employees being replaced by male colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious group.
Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has led the Paris landmark since 2018, will leave his post, the company SETE said in a statement, according to Reuters.
An internal investigation found “operational flaws and shortcomings” in the organisation of the visit, resulting in the “unacceptable” removal of female staff, SETE said.
Female staff removed during delegation’s visit
Around 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) visited the Eiffel Tower earlier this month. The movement, whose beliefs originate in the 18th century, maintains strict separation between men and women, including during temple activities and at building entrances.
SETE said the delegation had requested that the visit be organised to limit “interactions with women”, adding that such conditions should not have been accepted.
A staff union representative said female employees had been “asked to leave their places of work” and felt “humiliated”. Employees also said women had been instructed not to pass through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present.
Political condemnation and investigations
The incident led to the closure of the Eiffel Tower after staff went on strike. It also drew condemnation from French politicians.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly, said: “I refuse to allow women to be compelled to step aside in order to meet the demands of foreign visitors.”
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire described the decision as “absurd, unjust and unacceptable” and ordered two separate investigations.
SETE chair Ariel Weil said on Tuesday that he had requested the introduction of measures and training programmes promoting gender equality.
“The coming months will allow us to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions,” Weil said.
BAPS apology
BAPS apologised earlier this month “for any pain or inconvenience caused”, saying it believed in “the universal values of mutual respect and service”.
The group describes itself on its website as a “spiritual, volunteer-driven fellowship dedicated to improving society” through Hindu values. It has temples in major cities including London, Los Angeles and Sydney.
BAPS says its practice of separating men and women was introduced for women’s benefit. Critics, however, argue that applying 18th-century beliefs in this way is discriminatory and has no place in the modern world.
