Following President George W. Bush’s defeat of Democratic presidential nominee and seemingly less hawkish John Kerry in the Tuesday election, hundreds marched in a rally Saturday supporting an anti-war stance.

The afternoon rally, drawing between an estimated 500 to 700 attendants, followed a route from Library Mall up State Street to the steps of the Capitol building, according to rally organizer and member of Stop the War, Samuel Swenson. Stop the War, one of the chief organizations coordinating the event, is a student organization intended to educate and motivate students to oppose the war in Iraq.

“[The rally had] very excellent energy, lots of chants … there were lots of new people getting involved,” he said. “People were crying when we got to the Capitol steps.”

One of the main themes of the rally, Swenson said, was to tell the president to remove U.S. troops from conflict in foreign nations, especially Iraq.

“[We wanted] to let them know that we want to bring troops home,” he said. “A lot of people are convinced that bombing … these countries would make America safer, and I would argue the opposite.”

When rally attendants arrived at the Capitol, several speakers addressed the occupation of Iraq and how it ties into other global issues, according to Swenson.

Stop the War member Miguel Leon, who also helped organize the rally, said the rally was planned two weeks before Tuesday’s election, adding the gathering would address an issue that would have been present, despite the who received the next four-year lease on the White House.

“I think there were a lot of people who were frustrated with Bush getting re-elected … [However, this rally] would be just as important if Kerry was elected,” he said.

Swenson echoed Leon’s sentiments, saying the Stop the War membership voted several different ways.

“A huge number of anti-war liberals voted for Kerry, despite his pro-war stance … hoping to make a difference somehow [on the war],” Swenson said.

Both Swenson and Leon said Stop the War’s efforts have an important message to spread.

“If we can build an anti-war movement … I think we can have a significant say in what is happening,” Leon said. “Things are not getting better in Iraq. The important thing is to bring the troops home and end the war.”

Swenson added their organization will continue to be active.

“We’ve got a number of educational events in the planning,” he said, adding events include assembling professors to speak about the war, making a case for withdrawal.

Jessi Schober, second vice chair of UW College Republicans, said she was skeptical of the purpose of the Stop the War point of view because they are ignoring positives coming out of Iraq and the threat of attacks on Americans from terrorists in the country.

“If these people think Iraq and terrorism are two different things, they are being misled,” she said.

Schober added a problem with stop-the-war efforts is they polarize viewpoints by labeling people as either anti-war or pro-war.

“I don’t know anyone who is pro-war,” she said.