Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 19

Louvre Closes to 20,000 Daily Visitors as Protesters Barricade Entrances in Paris

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 19

Louvre Closes to 20,000 Daily Visitors as Protesters Barricade Entrances in Paris

Q: Why did a controversial religious visit trigger an Eiffel Tower strike right in the middle of massive nationwide economic protests?

The Eiffel Tower strike was not caused by the nationwide cost-of-living protests. It was a separate labor protest triggered by the handling of a private visit by a Hindu group, BAPS, during which female staff were allegedly moved aside or replaced by men to limit contact with women. According to staff unions and multiple reports, around 100 members of BAPS visited the monument on Saturday. Employees said female workers were told to leave certain posts, avoid some areas and, in some cases, were replaced by male colleagues. The Eiffel Tower’s operator, SETE, later acknowledged that the delegation had requested limited “interactions with women” and said those conditions “should not have been accepted.” That set off anger among employees because it was seen as a breach of France’s strict public commitment to gender equality and non-discrimination. Staff said women had been “sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex,” and walked out on Monday to demand accountability and assurances it would not happen again. Paris officials called the incident “unacceptable,” and an internal investigation was launched. The timing made it look like part of the wider unrest, since France was already in the middle of mass student and economic protests that also shut the Louvre and disrupted transport and tourism sites. But the Eiffel Tower closure itself stemmed from a workplace equality dispute, not from the broader anti-government demonstrations.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 19

The Louvre shut on Monday after protesters from the École du Louvre barricaded the glass pyramid, Carrousel du Louvre and Passage Richelieu entrances, with no reopening time announced.
The museum said student strikes forced the closure, while French media said the blockade was organized in solidarity with nationwide protests over living costs and recent police actions.
Nearly 2,400 arrests followed a weekend of violent clashes that damaged hundreds of businesses, and the unrest has also disrupted the Eiffel Tower, central shopping districts and other tourist sites.
Paris's cultural landmarks have faced repeated shutdowns, with the Eiffel Tower recently closed by a staff strike and Versailles hit by an Oct. 6 power outage.