Chaïm Nissim

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Chaïm Nissim (21 November 1949 – 11 April 2017) was an Israeli-born environmental activist and Swiss Green Party politician. He was born in Jerusalem and moved to Geneva, Switzerland, when he was 14 years old. He studied electrical and computer engineering at EPFL, graduating in 1973.

Nissim became a committed anti-nuclear activist, working to stop the Superphénix fast breeder reactor in France. He trained for underground action and at times sabotaged electrical pylons. On 18 January 1982 he fired five rockets at the Superphénix site under construction; two hit and caused damage, but the reactor core was not hit. He said the attack was part of a broader movement and that he believed he was acting non-violently, though the plant’s manager said workers were endangered. The weapon was an RPG-7, reportedly obtained through international left-wing networks.

In 1985 he was elected to the Grand Council of Geneva as a member of the Green Party, a position he held until 2001. On 8 May 2003 he publicly discussed the 1982 attack, publishing a book about it and his ties to terrorist groups. He supported the energy policy think tank NOÉ21.

Nissim was married to a Swiss woman and had three daughters: Sylvia (1986), Yael (1988) and Talia (1995).