Paris Eiffel Tower says chief to step down after uproar over removing women staff

Eiffel Tower staff condemned “professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex” during the visit by a Hindu religious group. | Photo Credit: AP The operating company that runs the Eiffel Tower said Tuesday (September 29, 2026) its chief would step down at the end of this year in the wake of a controversy over the removal of women staff during a visit by a Hindu religious group.Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has been in charge of the Paris landmark since 2018, would leave his job at the end of the year after an internal probe revealed that "operational flaws and shortcomings" in organising the visit led to the "unacceptable" removal of women staff, the company SETE said in a statement.The Eiffel Tower was closed on September 7, because of a strike by staff over the removal of female colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious group, workers and management said.The visit came on the same day as a cultural boat procession on the Seine organised by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement.In a statement, Eiffel Tower staff condemned “professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex” during the visit by the delegation.“Instructions were given to female employees of the Eiffel Tower and to female employees of contractors to make themselves invisible in order to welcome this delegation,” the staff said in their statement, adding they were shocked to have been put in such a situation. Published - September 29, 2026 07:56 pm IST