Alaska protesters pan Palin

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Hundreds of anti-Sarah Palin protesters in Anchorage, Alaska, say they reject the Republican U.S. vice presidential nominee as unqualified.

Gathered Saturday in midtown Anchorage, the group was estimated to be about 1,500, making for the largest street demonstration in recent Alaskan history, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

The newspaper said the protest started out as a modest effort by a group called Alaska Women Reject Palin but quickly swelled as word of it was spread via the Internet. Participants said it gained traction because of widespread concerns and frustrations over what some called "the myth" of the Alaska governor.

"Sarah Palin frightens the hell out of me. I don't want her anywhere near the White House," said Marybeth Holleman of Anchorage.

Alison Till, a geologist in Anchorage with the U.S. Geological Survey, told the Daily News that energy and global warming challenges require a solid and unbiased view of science to address.

"She is unqualified," Till said.