BAPS Protest at Eiffel Tower Divides Indian Diaspora

BAPS activists staged a protest at the Eiffel Tower on March 12, 2024, sparking a debate that has united French politicians but split the Indian diaspora. The demonstration, which lasted two hours, saw more than 300 members of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) marching in front of the landmark, holding banners that read “Respect for all faiths” and “Stop anti‑immigration laws.” The protest was triggered by a new French law that limits the display of religious symbols in public schools, a measure that BAPS said would target Hindu practices. The event drew a police escort, and a small group of protesters clashed with a handful of counter‑demonstrators who accused the BAPS group of being a front for far‑right Hindu nationalist politics.

BAPS has a long history in France, with three temples in Paris, Lyon and Marseille and a network of over 50,000 followers. The organization is known for its charitable work, but it has also faced criticism for its close ties to the VHP and the RSS, two Hindu nationalist groups that have been linked to anti‑immigrant rhetoric in India. The Eiffel Tower strike brought those links into the spotlight, forcing French lawmakers to confront the question of how to regulate foreign‑based religious groups that may be used for political purposes. Several members of the French National Assembly called for a review of BAPS’s status as a