Graduate student Adam Kokesh, who made news on campus last year for his association with controversial satirical posters, was one of several protesters who disrupted Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s speech during the Republican National Convention tonight. Kokesh, a veteran of the Iraq war who has become well-known as an anti-war protester, held a sign that said “McCain Votes Against Vets” and  “You Can’t Win An Occupation.”

Many of the television networks covering the speech, including CNN and MSNBC, cut to Kokesh’s sign several times.

In a phone interview with The Hatchet immediately after the speech, Kokesh said he was able to gain access to the Xcel (Energy) Center with the help of Ron Paul delegates who “recognize that this war is unconstitutional and unjust.” Referring to the convention staff and other delegates, he said they “apparently they didn’t recognize me.”

Kokesh said he initially entered wearing another shirt to cover his Iraq Veterans Against the War attire. He added that he was handcuffed while officers searched for his identification, but was released and riding in a taxi by 10:50 p.m.

The 26-year-old said he plans to vote for Bob Barr, a 1972 graduate of the Elliott School of International Affairs, this fall.

A video of the incident from C-SPAN: