Why?

(Try to find out what feelings and needs are alive in the other person: empathic resonance)

Do you feel irritated/worried/ angry/concerned?
Listening to you I have the impression that you are irritated/worried/ angry/concerned, because you think asylum seekers are not treated in the same way as other citizens. You need equality and justice, is that right?

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What if?

(‘Mirror questions’: how would it be if you were standing in the shoes of that person)

Do you know people who have left their houses and their way of living because their country was not a safe place to be anymore? Can you imagine what they have gone through? Can you imagine how much they are longing for a normal life, a place of their own and their own income?

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Self-reflection

(Questions you can ask yourself in silence to support yourself in understanding the other person)

How important is justice/equality for me?
When do I need justice/equality?
How do I feel when this need is not fulfilled?

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Empowerment

(More information on the issue and tips how to explore the problem and continue the discussion)

People in need, especially those with war trauma or the trauma of experiencing violence, are primarily seeking shelter and security.
For asylum seekers, there must be an urgency that drives them to leave their country. And in every receiving country in Europe, we have a legal basis which regulates when and under what conditions persons can apply for asylum.
All countries of the European Union have relatively high standards of social protection for their own citizens and other residents in their policy documents. This includes the protection of asylum seekers as well. In nearly all European countries, asylum seekers receive a basic supply for their living costs that is usually less than a minimum standard of living costs for citizens.
The EU has a long tradition of caring for the most vulnerable groups. If you are a European resident, you benefit from that. Caring for those in need of protection has always been at the forefront of European cultural, social and political life. Imagine: What would happen if your country would not take care of asylum seekers? Would you like men, women and children, old and young persons, to die on the streets of your country?