Once the rebellion ended, Riel and several of his comrades fled to the United States in 1870 because British soldiers and colonial irregulars (often Scottish settlers) desired to exact revenge in reaction to several incidents, particularly the execution of Thomas Scott. Riel, however later returned to Canada in 1885 to help lead the North West Rebellion. This caused him to face trial in a Canadian court, and eventually to being executed by the Canadian government in Regina. His death served as a political statement that outlined the relationship between French-English majorities and non-white minorities and what would happen if the latter chose to defy Canadian sovereignty. The Canadian government was starting to punish the rebels for their defiance, but the rebellion is still considered a success in the sense that the Metis were still able to acquire the land rights they hoped to achieve, as well as no longer being ignored when it came to federal matters.