Eiffel Tower row: Paris probe finds no BAPS request

A Paris investigation has found that BAPS made no explicit request to exclude female employees during its delegation’s private visit to the Eiffel Tower, even though women staff were sidelined during parts of the visit.

BAPS France welcomed the findings and reiterated that it had never asked for female employees to be hidden, removed or excluded.

“Following the publication of the official investigation findings concerning our delegation's visit to the Eiffel Tower, BAPS wishes first to reiterate its concern for the employees affected by the events surrounding the visit,” it said.

“From the outset, BAPS has consistently stated that it never asked for female employees to be hidden, removed or excluded. The investigation establishes this fact that BAPS made no such request for women to be excluded along the visitor route. We hope this clarification will contribute to a better understanding of the circumstances and allow everyone involved to move forward respectfully,” it added.

What sparked the controversyThe controversy began during a private visit by a BAPS delegation to the Eiffel Tower on September 5. Female employees were allegedly asked to leave some workstations, avoid certain areas and limit contact with members of the delegation. Some women were reportedly replaced by male colleagues.

The incident prompted Eiffel Tower employees to stage a protest on September 7. The landmark was closed to visitors for a day as staff objected to what they described as discriminatory workplace instructions. The tower reopened the following day.

BAPS denied asking for female employees to be removed or excluded and expressed concern over the impact of the incident on the affected staff. The Paris investigation later found that the message about avoiding contact between religious figures and women had been expanded during its implementation.

What the Paris probe foundAccording to Le Parisien, which accessed a summary of the General Inspectorate of the City of Paris’s investigation, the incident resulted from “a chain of errors in judgement, approval and execution” during the visit.

The investigation found “no explicit request from the delegation to exclude women throughout the route”.

However, the initial request conveyed to Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE) concerned avoiding physical contact between the religious figures and women, Le Parisien reported.

That requirement was gradually expanded during its implementation. Reception and customer-relations employees were asked to temporarily leave their posts during part of the delegation’s ascent to the North pillar.

A female employee working for a cleaning services provider was asked to wait until her break, while another woman was replaced in an elevator during the group’s descent, according to the report.

The City of Paris’s Inspector General said the no-contact requirement was progressively translated into the deployment of male employees at different positions. It was then extended to the point where female employees already at their posts were dismissed or replaced.

“Through word of mouth, the message was distorted,” the probe found, according to Le Parisien.

Eiffel Tower chief to leave postThe Eiffel Tower’s operating company has confirmed that its director general, Patrick Branco Ruivo, will step down by the end of the year.

SETE said an internal investigation found “operational flaws and shortcomings” in the organisation of the visit. These failures resulted “in female staff being excluded from the visit that day, an unacceptable situation”, the company said, according to AFP.Ruivo has denied personally ordering female employees to be removed or replaced during the delegation’s visit.

“I wish to reiterate that at no point did I give instructions aimed at removing or replacing women along the route of this delegation,” he said in a message to employees.