Eiffel Tower chief to step down after female staff removed during delegation visit

SETE, the company that runs the Eiffel Tower, said in a statement that its director general, Patrick Branco Ruivo, will step down at the end of the year. He has run the tower since 2018.

According to SETE's statement, an internal investigation found that "operational flaws and shortcomings" in organising a visit led to the "unacceptable" removal of female staff. The visit was made earlier in September 2026 by a delegation linked to the Hindu religious group Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).

The incident led to a staff walkout that closed the tower. Politicians in France condemned it. BAPS issued an apology.

At the time, SETE said the delegation had asked for the visit to be organised to limit "interactions with women", and that "these conditions should not have been accepted".

On 29 September, SETE chair Ariel Weil said she had requested measures and training programmes promoting gender equality. The BBC quoted her as saying: "The coming months will allow us to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions."

Further details reported

According to the South China Morning Post, the visit took place on 5 September. The paper reported that the monument was closed for one day. The BBC reported that the delegation numbered around 100 people. It also reported that the women were replaced by male colleagues. According to staff quoted by the BBC, female employees were "instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present". The BBC also reported that Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire ordered two separate investigations.

France 24 reported that management decided to sideline female workers days before the walkout. It also reported that BAPS was marking the inauguration of a traditional Hindu stone temple near Paris. According to The Hindu, the visit took place on the same day as a BAPS boat procession on the Seine.

What is disputed

The reports differ on dates. France 24 reported the walkout on 8 September. The Hindu reported the tower closed on 7 September. The wording of the BAPS apology also differs. The BBC quoted it as apologising "for any pain or inconvenience caused". France 24 quoted "sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation".

What each side says

In a statement quoted by The Hindu, staff condemned "professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex". A union representative, quoted by the BBC, said "women were asked to leave their places of work" and felt humiliated.

National Assembly president Yaël Braun-Pivet said, according to the BBC: "I refuse to allow women to be compelled to step aside in order to meet the demands of foreign visitors." Mr Gregoire called it an "absurd, unjust and unacceptable decision", the BBC reported.

BAPS said, according to the BBC, "we believe in the universal values of mutual respect and service". The group says its separation of men and women benefits women. Critics cited by the BBC call such exclusion discriminatory.

The reports do not include any comment from Mr Branco Ruivo. They do not say whether his departure was his decision or the board's, or who approved the delegation's conditions.

Analysis

The case sits where two principles meet: accommodating visitors' religious practices and protecting employees from being treated differently because of their sex. SETE's own finding that the removal was "unacceptable" suggests the operator sees the issue as internal management, not only as a visitor request. Several questions remain open. The findings of the two investigations ordered by the Paris mayor are not described in the reports. Nor is the choice of a successor. Outcomes could range from new internal rules on special visits to wider policy debate over cultural sites. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not indicate which path is likely.

Traceability
Sources (4): BBC News · France 24 · South China Morning Post · The Hindu
Independent origins: 3 · Perspectives covered: asia, west-public
Confirmed: 9 · Reported: 12 · Disputed: 2 · Confidence: high
Review: 3 AI reviewers (Claude, GPT-5.6 Sol, Kimi) · 38/38 claims backed by 2+ reviewers with verified evidence · 0 errors · approved
Drafted: 2026-09-29 18:44 UTC

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.