Officer injured, arrests and fines issued as police respond to protests against COVID-19 public health orders in Hunter

Police arrested 153 people and issued 573 fines across NSW during the unauthorised protests.

Eight people were arrested and 11 were fined for being part of a protest outside Lake Macquarie City Council, according to police figures released on Tuesday afternoon.

Five arrests were made and 12 fines handed out in the Port Stephens-Hunter Police District - for protests outside Maitland City Council and Port Stephens Council facilities - while four people were arrested and six were fined at protests in the Hunter Valley Police District - outside Scone, Singleton and Cessnock council buildings.

There was one arrest and 12 fines outside City of Newcastle's administration building.

An officer received a minor injury while responding to a protest at Raymond Terrace - one of three police injured in NSW.

NSW Police said in a statement that the officer, an inspector, was responding to a protest gathering of about 30 people on Tuesday morning when he approached a 57-year-old man and asked why he was not wearing a face mask.

Police allege the 57-year-old became agitated and was "inciting the crowd to approach police".

The inspector attempted to arrest the man, who grabbed the officer by the shirt and pushed him backwards.

The 57-year-old was ultimately arrested and charged with assaulting police and resisting arrest, among charges related to breaching public health orders.

NSW Police said the inspector did not require hospital treatment.

More than 20 illegal protests took place in the NSW Police Northern Region on Tuesday, the Newcastle Herald understands.

There were 79 unauthorised rallies across the state.

It came on a day that NSW recorded 1164 fresh COVID-19 cases - two of those in the Hunter.

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