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Striking employees close Eiffel Tower

Pickpockets threaten employees and steal from tourists.

By Ed Adamczyk
Paris' Eiffel Tower was closed friday because of a one-day strike by staff. Photo courtesy of wikimedia.org/ Tognopop.
Paris' Eiffel Tower was closed friday because of a one-day strike by staff. Photo courtesy of wikimedia.org/ Tognopop.

PARIS, May 22 (UPI) -- The Eiffel Tower in Paris closed Friday due to a walkout by its staff, protesting harassment by gangs of pickpockets in the area.

The iconic Paris landmark, a favorite of tourists for its view from the top of the 1,063-foot tower, is a haven for pickpockets who harass employees and prey on the seven million tourists who visit annually. The area surrounding the tower has become a lure for those who target tourists, particularly tourists from Asia.

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"The strike is related to employee concerns about the resurgence of pickpockets at the Eiffel Tower," said a statement from Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, the tower's managing company, Friday. The statement added it "deplores this situation and regrets that visitors waiting in the forecourt of the tower have been penalized."

The Eiffel Tower staff has said "formal guarantees" to stop pickpockets are needed from management, and the newspaper Liberation reported that 26,000 police and municipal government agents would be on duty throughout Paris, this summer, to deal with pickpockets.

The Eiffel Tower is scheduled to reopen Saturday.

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