Despite the snowy and bitterly cold weather, organizers said more than 150 Ames residents and ISU students gathered Saturday at Bandshell Park to rally against U.S. plans to invade Iraq.

The rally was one of hundreds that took place across the United States and in 60 countries Saturday in recognition of an international day of peace.

According to police estimates, 660,000 gathered in Madrid, Spain; 70,000 gathered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 500,000 converged in Berlin; and Paris reported 100,000. New York City Police said the crowd of anti-war demonstrators stretched 20 blocks deep and two blocks wide, but gave no numerical estimate.

The Ames crowd displayed both homemade posters and red, white and blue “No Iraq War” signs. Four speakers addressed the crowd focusing on nonviolence, aspirations for a more humane world and the dangers of the U.S. government’s military actions against Iraq.

“I don’t have any doubt about the dangerousness of Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq. But neither do I have any doubt about the even greater dangerousness of the president of my country,” said Gary Tartakov, professor of art and design, followed by applause from the crowd.

Other speakers began chants of “No to war” and “It is possible to live in peace” to inspire the crowd.

Following the speeches, about half of the crowd lined both sides of Duff Avenue between 5th and 6th streets. They displayed signs, chanted and beat on homemade drums.

Their anti-war message was met with both recognition and resistance from the passers-by.

James Pritchard, adjunct assistant professor of landscape architecture, stressed the importance of showing support against the war.

“It is hard to tell how America feels about the war,” Pritchard said. “It is both important and our right to get our voice out there in a public way.”

Tartakov praised the crowd that attended the rally.

“It is sometimes hard to get people to voice their opinion in this way,” he said. “They are afraid of appearing unpatriotic.”

While the harsh weather may have kept many at home Saturday, organizers were happy with the turnout they received.

Jon Meier, member of Time for Peace — a community organization committed to nonviolent conflict resolution — said many people planned to travel to Ames from the surrounding areas to attend the rally. “I seriously think there would have been 1,000 people here [if not for the weather],” said Meier, senior in religious studies.

Omar Tesdell, co-founder of Time For Peace and Daily columnist, said he was pleased with the turnout. “It shows that people do care about the cause,” said Tesdell, junior in journalism and mass communication.

— The Associated Press contributedto this report.