French political leaders across the spectrum have expressed outrage after women staffers at the Eiffel Tower were removed from their workstations during a visit by a Hindu religious group. The incident has sparked discussions about gender equality and religious practices in France.
On Monday, the staff at the Eiffel Tower went on a brief strike to protest the removal of women colleagues during a visit by a delegation of the Hindu denomination Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) on Saturday. The group consecrated its first major temple in France, located in the suburbs of Paris on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the ceremony virtually.
Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right political party National Rally, said on Tuesday that France will never accept restrictions on women’s presence. Le Pen, who is viewed as one of the main contenders in next year’s presidential election, also demanded greater transparency about what happened on Monday.
Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally, said that the ‘degrading demand’ allegedly made by BAPS should never have been met. He added that in a free country like France, gender equality is respected, and no religious reason can override women's dignity.
Former French Prime Minister Michel Barnier said that the Eiffel Tower, located in the heart of his parliamentary constituency, is ‘the common heritage’ of all Parisians and the French people. Therefore, the order aimed at making women disappear from this space was ‘utterly unacceptable’, he asserted.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire also condemned the conditions placed on Eiffel Tower staffers, promising an investigation into the matter. He asserted that equality between women and men will never stop at the foot of historical monuments or anywhere in this city.
French Equality Minister Aurore Bergé said that France does not ask women to ‘erase themselves’ and that ‘no dogma, no religion is above the laws of the Republic’.
The incident has been widely covered by French media, including reports by Paris-based news agency AFP, state-owned international news television network France 24 , and newspapers Le Parisien and Le Monde.
Source:
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