The head of the company operating the Eiffel Tower will leave at the end of the year following a controversy over the removal of female employees during a visit by a Hindu religious group.
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head → operate → group
Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of Societe d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, or SETE, since 2018, announced his departure on Tuesday.
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Ruivo → announce → Tuesday
SETE said an internal investigation had found “operational flaws and shortcomings” in the planning of the visit which led to the exclusion of female staff.
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which → say → staff
The controversy erupted after a delegation from Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, commonly known as BAPS, visited the monument in early September.
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delegation → erupt → September
The delegation of about 100 people was in France to celebrate the opening of the first BAPS temple near Paris.
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delegation → celebrate → Paris
Afterwards, female employees said they had been instructed to stay away from parts of the monument while the delegation was there.
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delegation → say → monument
Some were removed from their posts and replaced by male colleagues.
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Some → remove → colleagues
A statement released by Eiffel Tower staff said the instructions resulted in “female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex” during the visit.
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employees → release → visit
“Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas.
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Some → ask → areas
In some posts they were replaced by men,” it added.
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it → replace → men
“And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present.”
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delegation → instruct → areas
SETE later acknowledged the delegation had asked to limit “interactions with women”.
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delegation → acknowledge → women
The company said “these conditions should not have been accepted”.
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conditions → say → ?
The incident led to Eiffel Tower staff staging a one-day strike on 7 September.
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staff → lead → September
The monument was closed as a result.
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monument → close → result
The incident drew widespread condemnation from political figures in France.
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incident → draw → France
Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire described the decision to remove female employees as an “absurd, unjust and unacceptable decision” and ordered two investigations.
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Gregoire → describe → investigations
“It is not acceptable that such conditions can be tolerated.
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conditions → tolerate → ?
These are neither my values, nor those that the Eiffel Tower should uphold, where everyone – regardless of gender – should be able to move about and act freely, without distinction between women and men,” she said.
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she → uphold → women
Marine Le Pen, the far-right frontrunner in next year’s presidential election, said that “in France, we will never accept the presence of women being ‘limited’”.
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presence → say → women
National Assembly president Yael Braun-Pivet also criticised the move.
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Pivet → criticise → move
“I refuse to allow women to be compelled to step aside in order to meet the demands of foreign visitors.”
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women → refuse → visitors
BAPS, meanwhile, apologised “for any pain or inconvenience caused” by the incident and maintained that it believed in “the universal values of mutual respect and service”.
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it → apologise → respect
The group operates temples in several major cities around the world.
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group → operate → world
BAPS had reportedly made the request to limit “interactions with women” because the delegation included several monks, including the group’s 93-year-old spiritual leader, Mahant Swami Maharaj, whose religious vows forbid contact with women.
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vows → make → women
Meanwhile, Ariel Weil, the mayor of Paris Centre who serves as the chair of SETE, said he had asked for a “dedicated protocol department” at the company, along with new measures and training programmes aimed at promoting gender equality.
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he → serve → equality
“The coming months will allow us to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions,” Mr Weil said.
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Weil → come → conditions
The Eiffel Tower is owned by the city of Paris and attracts about seven million visitors every year.
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Tower → own → visitors
Mr Ruivo, who previously worked as an adviser to former Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, became the director general of SETE in November 2018.
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who → work → November
He will remain in the role until the end of 2026.
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He → remain → 2026
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