Patrick Branco Ruivo, the chief executive of the company managing the Eiffel Tower, will step down from his post at the end of the year, SETE, the company, announced. Ruivo, who has led the landmark since 2018, is set to transition out, with the company stating that the leadership transition will be managed under the best possible conditions.
The decision to step down follows an incident earlier this month, in which female staff were removed from their duties during a visit by a delegation of 100 people linked to the group BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshmi Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha). SETE described the removal as 'unacceptable', and an internal investigation found that 'operational failures and deficiencies' in the organisation's organisation led to the outcome.
According to SETE's statement, the Hindu delegation had requested that the visit be organised so that 'interactions with women' were limited. The company stated that 'these conditions should not have been accepted'. A union representative stated that 'women were asked to leave their posts' and that they felt 'humiliated'. Staff at the monument stated that female employees 'were instructed not to pass through certain areas' while the delegation was present.
The visit led to the closure of the tower as staff went on strike to express their outrage. Politicians condemned the incident. Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of the French National Assembly, stated after the visit: 'I refuse to allow women to be forced to back down to accommodate the demands of foreign visitors.' Emmanuel Grégoire, the mayor of Paris, described it as 'an absurd, unfair and unacceptable decision' and ordered two separate investigations.
Ariel Weiss, the chairman of SETE, stated on Tuesday that he had requested the implementation of measures and training programmes promoting gender equality. 'The coming months will allow us to prepare the leadership transition under the best possible conditions,' Weiss said.
The BASS group apologised for 'any pain or discomfort caused' earlier this month. 'We believe in the universal values of mutual respect and service,' they stated. On their website, the group describes itself as 'a spiritual, volunteer-led community dedicated to improving society' through Hindu values. BASS has temples in major world cities, including London, Los Angeles and Sydney.
BASS draws its beliefs from the teachings of Lord Swaminarayana, an ascetic from the late 18th century, whom his followers consider to be an incarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation. The group claims that the separation of men and women is for the benefit of women, but critics point out that 18th-century beliefs have no place in the modern world and that keeping women away is discriminatory in the name of religious practice.
