Eiffel Tower chief to quit after female staff replaced by men during religious visit

What the report says

The company that operates the Eiffel Tower said its chief executive, Patrick Branco Ruivo, will leave his post at the end of the year after an internal review of a recent visit by a Hindu religious delegation found serious failings. According to BBC World News, the review concluded that operational problems during the visit led to female staff being removed from their usual roles and replaced by male colleagues, which the company described as unacceptable.

The incident involved a group of around 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, which visited the Paris landmark earlier this month. BBC reported that the group had asked for arrangements limiting contact with women, and that the request was not appropriately handled. Staff representatives said women felt humiliated and were told to leave certain work areas while the delegation was present.

The episode prompted a strike that closed the tower and drew criticism from French political leaders, including the president of the National Assembly and Paris’s Socialist mayor. SETE, the company that runs the monument, said it would introduce measures and training to promote gender equality as it prepares for the leadership change. BAPS apologised for any pain or inconvenience and said it values mutual respect.