Extreme left-wing groups are reportedly preparing to bring the disorder seen during French student protests to the streets of Britain.
A coalition of radical organisations is urging students and workers to mobilise in central London next month for an International Youth Day of Action.
Socialist and anti-war activists, pro-Palestinian organisations and other anarchist groups are calling on university students to walk out of lectures as part of the so-called youth strike.
Organisers say the demonstrations will seek to pressure the Government into increasing spending on jobs and education, cutting defence funding, supporting Palestine and opposing Israel.
A social media post promoting the action calls on supporters to “rise against imperialism, capitalism, authoritarianism and the far right”.
The plans follow a weekend of unrest in France, where at least 2,400 people were arrested and at least 3,000 businesses were damaged or looted across the country.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “The scenes of violence and looting we have seen in France and across Europe are deeply shocking.
“The Conservative Party supports the right to free speech and peaceful protest.
French police officers in riot gear stand guard during civil unrest in Paris following a national day of demonstrations
A French firefighter tackles a blaze at a street barricade as clashes between riot police and demonstrators continued during nationwide protests over the weekend
“However, any attempt by extreme left-wing groups to recreate this chaos in Britain should be met with the full force of the law.
“They cannot be allowed to unleash anarchy, riots and chaos here.”
He added: “It is concerning that police officer numbers are falling under this Labour Government, with 6,500 fewer frontline officers.
“As a result, the police are being left without the resources they need to fight crime and protect the public.”
The event is being advertised for Trafalgar Square on Friday, November 20. Further protests are planned in Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and Leicester, along with other towns and cities.
Organisers say the demonstrations are being coordinated with protests elsewhere in Europe.
An online message promoting the event states: “We are proud to join the incredible movement that has been growing and increasing across the globe in countries such as France.”
It continues: “Following the youth and workers protests internationally, we are calling upon students and workers across the UK to mobilise on the day and rise against imperialism, capitalism, authoritarianism and the far right across all our governments internationally.
Responding to the planned London demonstration, one social media user wrote: “The Met ain’t got the balls to get as violent as the stormtroopers in Paris.”
A fire partially destroyed Limoges city hall after a group forced entry into the building during Saturday’s protests
The demonstration is supported by SOAS Liberated Zone, the UK’s longest-running pro-Palestinian student encampment at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, among others.
Asked what Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s response would be to anyone planning copycat protests or violence in the UK, his spokesman told reporters: ‘Our police obviously have the powers and resources needed to protect our communities and keep the public safe.’
He added: ‘Clearly, the violence we’re seeing on the streets of France is unacceptable.
‘And while the power to protest is at the heart of democracy, this can never excuse violence.
‘We know people in Britain are worried about the cost of living too.
‘The Prime Minister said he wants to continue taking action to provide breathing space on the cost of living and to put money in people’s pockets, and that’s why he’s set out a range of different measures in which we will do that.’
Reform UK’s policing and crime advisor Colin Sutton said: ‘Britain has already seen what happens when the authorities go soft on organised disorder so we fully expect the Metropolitan Police to take a firm, no-nonsense approach.
‘That means anyone who breaks the law should face the full consequences.
‘Reform UK’s S.A.F.E. plan will prioritise the safety of Brits with a massive expansion of stop-and-search police powers, a ban on face coverings and 30,000 more officers on the street.’
The disorder in France began with students protesting over school conditions but has descended into riots, violence, destruction, looting and clashes with the police as more than 500,000 people took to the streets last weekend.
French interior minister Laurent Nunez offered his resignation on Sunday, acknowledging that authorities had ‘lost control’ in some major cities.
But President Emmanuel Macron refused his resignation ‘given the need for continued command of law enforcement’.
Mr Macron instructed Nunez to put ‘new policing tactics in place as soon as possible and ‘take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence’.
On Sunday evening, groups set fires to rubbish bins, bicycles and other objects in the streets and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities.
The 19th-century city hall in Limoges, central France, was firebombed on Saturday, causing its roof to collapse.