The Eiffel Tower, that iconic symbol of Parisian romance and structural hubris, found itself shut on Monday after its staff decided that being asked to play musical chairs with their gender was a bit much. The cause? A visit by a Hindu religious group that apparently came with a side of "please move the women."

On Saturday, a delegation of about 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) group graced the monument with their presence. According to Diane Davoine, a staff union representative, the women on duty were informed that their services - and their very presence - were no longer required in the immediate vicinity of the delegation. "During the visit of this delegation, women were asked to leave their places of work in order to place men there," she told Reuters. Management has since offered an apology, but as Davoine noted, that hasn't exactly smoothed ruffled feathers: "So that absolutely does not go down well with the employees, with women obviously, who are all humiliated by what happened, by the way some were treated."

Tensions apparently simmered over the weekend, leading to Monday's employee meeting and subsequent strike. The goal, Davoine said, was twofold: to open dialogue with management and to ensure that women are never treated this way at the company again. Because in a country that literally has a motto about liberty, equality, and fraternity, having women shuffled aside like unwanted furniture is a bit of a PR nightmare.

Société d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE), the company that runs the monument, confirmed to AFP that the delegation had indeed requested the visit be organized to limit "interactions with women." In a stunning display of corporate understatement, SETE admitted that "these conditions should not have been accepted" and that they were "not in line with SETE's values, nor with the principles of equality between men and women." SETE president Ariel Weil chimed in: "It is clearly not an acceptable practice. I restate the Eiffel Tower's commitment to republican values and to the equality of men and women."

Meanwhile, BAPS was busy consecrating its first major temple in France on Sunday, in the suburbs of Paris. In a statement on X, the BAPS temple in Paris claimed the trip was "arranged in conjunction with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal opening hours to avoid disrupting or inconveniencing others." They apologized "for any pain or inconvenience caused," adding that they believe in "the universal values of mutual respect and service." BAPS, which describes itself as a "spiritual, volunteer-driven fellowship dedicated to improving society" through Hindu values, has temples from London to Los Angeles to Sydney - so they're no strangers to international PR.

French politicians, never ones to miss a chance to grandstand, have weighed in. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire promised an investigation, saying, "I am taking note of the anger expressed by the employees of the Eiffel Tower, and I want to tell them that their discontent is legitimate. Equality between women and men will never stop at the foot of our historical monuments, nor anywhere in this city. It must be applied everywhere, for everyone."

Hard-right leader Marine Le Pen declared, "In France, we will never accept that the presence of women be 'limited'." Former centre-right Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who has presidential ambitions, said, "In France, no culture, no belief, no worship, nothing nor anyone can come to dictate to women their place." And Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, added, "I refuse to allow women to be compelled to step aside in order to meet the demands of foreign visitors."

So there you have it: a religious group's request, a company's questionable acquiescence, and a staff that said, "Non." The Eiffel Tower remains a symbol of Paris, but for one day, it was also a symbol of workers refusing to let tradition trample on basic decency. The BBC has contacted the CGT union for comment, but we suspect they're too busy drafting a strongly worded statement about the importance of not treating women like temporary decorations.