The first two weeks of October have seen a climactic flare up of social unrest. Anger has been steadily building as global unemployment continues to rise.

As we reported in Tactical Briefing #6 some of the spectacular actions that have already occurred include the pelting of the Prime Minister of Iceland with eggs and the torching of police cars in Toronto and Barcelona. But it looks like these early protests may be merely a taste of things to come.

Friday's New York Times contains a stunning dispatch from France where a thousand high schools were in turmoil as the general strike stretched into its fourth day:

And in the days since, the situation has only grown more tense. The blockade of fuel continues to be the most effective leverage point. Flights into France are being cut by as much as 50% due to lack of fuel and fears of strike activity. Meanwhile, at least 1,500 of the country's 12,500 gas stations have run out of fuel as well.

The government of France continues to push forward with their plans while the people vow to intensify their strike. According to one political commentator quoted in Monday's New York Times, the President of France is on the brink of losing all political legitimacy. Polls indicate that 71% of the French population support or sympathize with the strikers.

The mainstream media does not say it, but these events are eerily reminiscent. In May 1968, France was paralyzed by a general strike in which students, workers, teachers and artists erected barricades, occupied buildings and issued calls for an anti-capitalist future. And… they almost won.

Could this be the beginnings of another 1968? And could the Carnivalesque Rebellion this November be the week it goes global?