Eiffel Tower operator's chief to resign after removal of female staff during Hindu group visit
The company running the Eiffel Tower said its chief, Patrick Branco Ruivo, will step down at year's end following a scandal in which organisational failures led to female staff being sidelined during a visit by the Hindu group BAPS.
SETE, the company that operates the Eiffel Tower in Paris, announced on Tuesday that its chief executive, Patrick Branco Ruivo, will leave his post at the end of this year. The decision follows an internal investigation which found that "operational flaws and shortcomings" in organising a visit by a Hindu religious group led to the "unacceptable" removal of female staff from duty. Branco Ruivo has led the tower since 2018.
Walkout and controversy
On September 8, staff at the Paris landmark staged a walkout to protest a management decision, made days earlier, to sideline women employees during a visit by members of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). BAPS is a global religious and civic organisation belonging to the conservative Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism, with ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The group had been in the Paris area celebrating the inauguration of a traditional Hindu stone temple.
Political backlash
The incident sparked outrage across France, with politicians from across the political spectrum condemning it as an attack on fundamental liberties, while also drawing wider scrutiny of BAPS's activities. Following the incident, the Hindu organisation issued a statement offering sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by the situation.
Ariel Weil, chair of SETE, said on Tuesday that she had requested measures and training programmes be introduced to promote gender equality within the company.
