Mussolini became active in the Italian socialist movement in Switzerland, working for the paper
L'Avvenire del Lavoratore, organising meetings, giving speeches to workers, and serving as secretary of the Italian workers' union in
Lausanne.
[9] Angelica Balabanov reportedly introduced him to
Vladimir Lenin, who later criticised Italian socialists for having lost Mussolini from their cause.
[11] In 1903, he was arrested by Bernese police because of his advocacy of a violent general strike, spent two weeks in jail, and was handed over to Italian police in
Chiasso.
[9] After he was released in Italy, he returned to Switzerland.
[12] He was arrested again in Geneva, in April 1904, for falsifying his passport expiration date, and was expelled from the
canton of Geneva.
[9] He was released in
Bellinzona following protests from Genevan socialists.
[9]