The Eiffel Tower closed to the public for most of the day on Friday as workers protested a rise in aggressive pickpockets around the Paris landmark that attracts thousands of visitors daily.
The walkout came a day after Paris authorities announced that crime against tourists in the French capital had dropped this year, thanks to a reinforced police presence and video surveillance.
The tower did not open on Friday morning because the staff was concerned about petty crime around the site. Clusters of tourists streamed beneath the tower, unable to reach its viewing platforms.
It remained closed while staff and management held meetings about security measures, then reopened in the late afternoon, according to the company that manages the site.
The tower is normally open every day of the year, but sometimes closes briefly for bomb threats or strikes.
Tower employee and French General Confederation of Labor union representative Denis Vavassori said the workers want a permanent police presence.
“It is a growing problem. There were always pickpockets at the Eiffel Tower, but now we are really facing an organized group,” he told reporters.
Police officers on Friday patrolled the area on bikes, on foot and in cars.
“Unfortunately, there are here people who assault and try to steal. So we do feel less free, and lose the opportunity to visit this beautiful monument,” tourist Francisco Madeira of Sao Paulo, Brazil, said, at the site before the tower reopened. “There should be more organization and police.”
Workers at the Louvre Museum staged a similar walkout in 2012.
Paris authorities on Thursday said that violent theft was down 25 percent and pickpocketing was down 23 percent in the first four months of this year, compared with the same period last year.
City authorities have also broken up several major theft networks, according to Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins, who visited the Champs-Elysees tourist district on Thursday to show how seriously police are taking crime against visitors.
Paris has also heightened security since January terror attacks in Paris left 20 dead, including three attackers.
The French capital is still attracting big crowds, however.
Dave Kleps from Old Forge, New York, said his Paris experience has not been overshadowed by crime.
“We have been here two days and I have not felt unsafe,” he said, speaking beneath the Eiffel Tower. “We are a little bit disappointed that it is closed.”
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