A sea of old age pensioners from across Greece flooded into Athens on Friday (April 19) to protest against pension cuts.

Some aided by walking canes and led by a demonstrator on a motorised cart, the elderly marched through the city past the Greek parliament to the Public Administration Ministry, where they were stopped short by police.

The protesters came from cities across the country, saying they have been reduced to poverty by the pension reductions, which are as much as 15 percent.

They have also been hit by new taxes on their homes as part of the reforms, as well as cash for drugs, after the free state social insurance fund suffered medicine shortages. Some said they were helping out their children, who had lost their jobs in the midst of the crisis.

One elderly protester fainted along the way. Battling the rain, the pensioners waved their fists in the air and shielded themselves under the banners they had brought with them to the protest.

Figures released by the Greek statistics service on Friday showed that Greek households suffered an 8.3 percent year-on-year drop in gross disposable income in the last quarter of 2012, hit by austerity measures aimed at pulling the country out of its debt crisis.

Athens has slashed public sector pay and pensions and raised taxes to shore up public finances under measures prescribed by its euro zone partners and the International Monetary Fund to keep bailout aid flowing to the country.

The country has just wrapped up another review with lenders after agreeing to further reforms in order to receive the next aid instalment.

The government has vowed there will not be any more reductions to pensions.

Presented by Adam Justice