00:00Why was the Eiffel Tower closed to visitors yesterday?
00:03Not because of a technical problem, but because of a protest by its own employees.
00:09The controversy began during a private visit by around 100 people linked to BAPS, a Hindu
00:15religious organization.
00:17Eiffel Tower staff say female employees were told to leave their posts or avoid certain
00:23areas during the visit, with some reportedly replaced by male colleagues.
00:27Staff described the instructions as asking female employees to make themselves invisible.
00:33The tower's operator acknowledged that the delegation requested arrangements to limit
00:38interactions with women, but admits that those conditions should never have been accepted.
00:43That triggered a staff walkout, forcing the Eiffel Tower to close to visitors for the day.
00:49The controversy quickly became political.
00:51Yael Bonpivet, president of France's National Assembly, said welcoming visitors should never
00:57mean giving up France's values, adding that women should never be told to become invisible
01:02in public loud.
01:03Paris authorities have also launched an investigation.
01:06But what does the Hindu delegation say?
01:08The delegation sincerely apologized for any pain or inconvenience caused by this arrangement,
01:14while maintaining that no one was denied access to the monument.
01:18And today, the Eiffel Tower is back open to the public.
01:22We hope the
01:25negative
01:25Big
