More than a thousand people gathered Friday afternoon on Boston Common for what was billed as a “Love Rally’’ in the wake of the election of Donald Trump.

The event was organized by two young women using Facebook, and although the invitation stressed that it was not a protest, the many anti-Trump signs and chants — including repeated renditions of “Not my president’’ and “Love trumps hate’’ — made the central message of the gathering clear: People were upset about the election and wanted to do something, anything, about it.

“It feels like there’s a broken community, and I’m here to share the love for all the people of color, the Muslims, and all the women, just to let them know that they are not alone,’’ said Courtney Spera, 21, of Billerica.

“It’s not about protesting the election,’’ added her friend, Travis Barrett, 23, of Haverhill. “What’s done is done. This is just about coming together.’’

Many held signs offering support to communities they felt had been slighted by Trump’s candidacy and election, and most of the people in the crowd wore safety pins on their clothes, a Brexit-inspired signal of support for communities that feel under attack.

“It’s a peace rally, yes, but that means it’s a protest against anger and bigotry. Peace can be protest,’’ said Jennifer Doe, 41, of East Boston, who had brought her three-year-old daughter, Lena, with her.

“I’m worried about a world where her preschool classmates — who are Muslim and Latino — can be deported,’’ Doe said. “I’m worried they might nullify my marriage to my wife. I’ve got a lot of worry.’’

The rally began at 2 p.m. outside Park Street Station and quickly swelled into a large circle that moved to a nearby grassy area. About 20 Boston police officers watched from a distance, but the crowd remained peaceful.

Roshney Isaac, a first-generation immigrant from India, traveled to the Common from Acton, and she paused outside the circle to help her two children put on signs they had made.

“We are here to make our voices heard,’’ she said as the children draped their signs around their necks.

“We are here to tell Donald Trump that we are part of America, too,’’ her 9-year-old daughter Divya said as she straightened her sign. It read: “I am America.’’

Shanta Poon-King, a 23-year-old Northeastern student from Trinidad & Tobago, said she has been feeling a lot of anxiety since Trump was elected, and was attracted to the rally because she liked the message of love and peace.

“I’m not ready for an angry protest yet,’’ she said. “This is more about solidarity, and that’s what I need right now.’’

Nearby, Julia O’Shea, 28, of Cambridge was wearing a homemade shirt that said “No Wall Can Stop My Love.’’

“I’m from Bolivia, and I was adopted into a white family when I was three months old,’’ she said. “That has given me a lot of privilege, but I don’t want to just sit back and do nothing when so many Hispanics and Muslims feel threatened. You have to do everything you can to say no to Trump and what he represents.’’

The rally in Boston was one of many that took place around the country on Friday — a Veterans Day holiday for many — as the election of Trump continues to send shock waves through an increasingly fractured country. In New York, protesters have kept near-constant vigil outside Trump Tower, while many large, tense gatherings have occurred in cities around the country and world.

“It’s starting to feel like the ‘60s again,’’ an older person at the Boston rally shouted, before leaning in to a group of young men next to him to tell them that their generation needs to be the one to get rid of the Electoral College.

Billy Baker can be reached at billybaker@globe.com.