AG Bill Barr says 'socialist' Black Lives Matter protesters have created 'urban guerrilla warfare' in cities across the country because of their desire for a left-wing 'utopia'

Attorney General William Barr claimed that Black Lives Matter protesters have inundated US cities with a new form of 'urban guerrilla warfare' because of a 'lust for power' and desire for a 'progressive utopia.' 

Tensions between Republicans and Democrats ratcheted up significantly in recent months as the United States, still overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases, was hit with a swath of protests ahead of the November presidential election.

Politicians on both sides of the aisles have hurled blame on each other for the civil unrest from dissatisfied Americans disillusioned by law enforcement and the federal government.  

But on Sunday AG Barr leveled fresh attacks at Black Lives Matter protests and Democrats in an interview on Fox News' Life, Liberty & Levin.

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Attorney General William Barr (pictured) once again criticized the Black Lives Matter movement and Democrats in an interview on Fox News' Life, Liberty & Levin on Sunday

Barr, who has a history of denouncing Black Lives Matter protests, claimed the movement is comprised of 'Bolsheviks,' with a focus on 'some form of socialism, communism.' 

'They are a revolutionary group that is interested in some form of socialism, communism. They're essentially Bolsheviks. Their tactics are fascistic.' said Barr. 

He added that he believed the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests are a 'new form of urban guerrilla warfare.' 

'The way the guerrilla...hides out among the people as a fish in the ocean...what they do is they are essentially shielding themselves or shrouding themselves in First Amendment activity,' said Barr.

'They go into the demonstrations, which are exercising First Amendment activity, and they insinuate themselves in there to shield themselves.

'That's where they swim. And what they do is they hijack these demonstrations and they provoke violence.'

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Barr (pictured): 'They go into the demonstrations, which are exercising First Amendment activity, and they insinuate themselves in there to shield themselves'

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Black Lives Matter demonstrations began in May after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Black Lives Matter and anti-police protests first sparked three months ago when George Floyd, a unarmed father-of-five, died in police custody after ex-Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Cell phone footage of the incident was shared to social media, where it sparked outrage and prompted a reckoning against law enforcement for  brutality, as well as racial inequality. 

Since then, a number of police departments have seen their budgets defunded and the Minneapolis Police Department full out abolished.

Barr told Fox News that the group's liberal leanings are parallel to the Democratic Party's supposed far-left shift in recent years.

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Pictured: People gather to protest in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in downtown Portland as the city experiences another night of unrest in Portland, Oregon

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Pictured: An officer with the Minnesota State Patrol kicks a tear gas canister toward protesters near the 5th Precinct Police Station

'The left has pulled away from the umbrella of classical liberal values that have undergirded' the United States and made a 'secular religion'  out of seeking 'complete political victory.'

According to Barr, this alleged shift began after President Trump was elected into office in 2016.

'And from that point forward, there's been the resistance,' said Barr,' who added that power has become a 'secular religion of the left.'

'They were trying to impeach him from Day One. They have done everything they can..and I think it's because of the desire for power that the left wants.' 

'They want to run people's lives so they can design utopia for all of us...and it's the lust for power. And they weren't expecting Trump's victory. And it outrages them.'

Later in the interview, Barr lashed out at the media for 'projecting a narrative' and allegedly lying to the American people about what's really happening.

'You don't see it on the networks. You don't see it on the other cable stations. And yet you hear about these peaceful demonstrators.' said Barr.

'So it's you know, it's just it's a lie. The American people are being told a lie by the media.'

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Barr (pictured) also lashed out at the media for allegedly lying to Americans about the severity of protests

To Barr, the media institution has become 'extremely monolithic...and it's wedded in many ways to the Democratic Party.'

This echoes a previous statement from President Trump in July, when he blamed the 'Lamestream Media' in a tweet.

'The Lamestream Media, including Fox News, which has really checked out, is refusing to show what is REALLY going on in Portland, Seattle, and other places,' the president wrote.

'They want the American public to believe that these are just some wonderful protesters, not radical left ANARCHISTS!'

Both Barr and Trump have shown a preference for heavy-handed, militarized responses to Black Lives Matter protests. 

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AG Barr (far left) and President Trump (right) were criticized in July when peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square were cleared out with tear gas and alleged less-lethal munitions for an apparent photo-op

They were criticized for Trump's notorious St. John church photo-op where peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square were cleared out with tear gas and alleged less-lethal munitions.

While Barr as accused Black Lives Matter supporters of inciting violence, several others have accused the Trump administration of intentionally dividing Americans during this time of crisis.

Melina Abdullah, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles chapter and a Pan-African studies professor at California State University, called Trump hypocritical for calling a Black Lives Matter mural a 'symbol of hate.'

'I think it’s the height of hypocrisy for Donald Trump to call anything a symbol of hate,' said Abdullah, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles chapter and a Pan-African studies professor at California State University. 

'He is the embodiment of hate, and for him to say that affirming the value of black life is somehow hate, again, reminds us of who he is.'

Melina Abdullah (right) on Thursday appeared on CNN to criticize President Trump over his response to Black Lives Matter 

In response to claims that Trump is stoking the flames of both political and racial divide with harmful rhetoric, Abdullah pointed to white supremacy.  

'I think we need to remember who he is. That Donald Trump is the embodiment of white supremacist terrorism.'

Abdullah said the polarization and instances of police brutality against minorities rested squarely on Trump's shoulders. 

'So it’s really important to understand what Donald Trump has done to this country, and where he’s chosen to align himself,' she said.

'So for him, again, to call anything hate is really the height of hypocrisy and we need as a country to be willing to point to him and say that he is actually the terrorist in chief.'