As is true of Scottish nationalism, Catalan politics and society have a profoundly pro-European character — very different from the Euroskeptic movements that have championed Brexit and from the demands of the far-right populists who are increasingly making their mark on the European Union.

Britain’s approach toward Scottish independence also contrasts sharply with the Spanish government’s toward Catalonia. Although the independence movement won 48 percent of the vote and an absolute majority in Parliament in Catalonia’s 2015 elections, the Spanish government has shunned negotiation. Instead, it has bet all its chips on repression. The Spanish government’s restrictive interpretation of the Constitution, which ought to be the guarantor of citizens’ rights and freedoms, has turned it into a shield against dialogue.

Catalonia’s Parliament is a pluralistic assembly that reflects the diversity of Catalan society and permits the expression of all voices and opinions. There, those in favor of independence and those against it — both legitimate options — can debate and vote freely. That is why Catalonia will draw a line in the sand in defense of its parliamentary freedom.

The solution to the situation is not to suppress debate, but to allow democratic, free and informed citizens to be heard. A recent poll showed that more than 80 percent of Catalans favor deciding their future through a referendum. This is, therefore, a majority demand that Catalonian institutions plan to carry out in September, even though the Spanish government has stonewalled and obstructed all efforts by Catalonia to reach an agreement on holding a vote.

In December, before an examining magistrate, I argued that no court has the right to prevent talk of independence in the Parliament of Catalonia, any more than it could suppress discussion of any other subject of interest to citizens. We will not open our doors to censorship. We are committed to preserving the right of free expression for all deputies, no matter what they think and how they vote.

This is the foundation of democracy and freedom, attained at such a high price in all democratic societies. “Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth,” George Washington wrote. True enough, but the fight for civil rights and liberties must be constant and unwavering, for history has shown how easy it is to lose them.