Which West Berlin mayor called the 6 November draft travel rules complete trash?

Walter Momper called the 6 November 1989 draft travel rules “complete trash.”

Momper was the Social Democratic mayor of West Berlin during the dramatic final weeks of the German Democratic Republic. The East German Interior Ministry presented the draft as a liberalisation, but it left major restrictions in place. Applications could still face official scrutiny, processing could take considerable time, and practical questions such as access to foreign currency remained unresolved.

The proposal therefore disappointed East Germans who expected genuine freedom of movement after mass demonstrations and a growing refugee crisis. Momper, who had spoken with East German officials and followed the negotiations closely, rejected the measure as travel freedom in name only. His description referred to the draft regulations, not to the later announcement that unexpectedly opened the Wall.

A common mix-up is to associate Momper with the phrase “the Wall is open.” That moment belonged to Günter Schabowski’s 9 November press conference, when Schabowski mistakenly indicated that the new rules took effect immediately. Momper was the West Berlin mayor who responded sharply to the earlier, inadequate draft.