A man was severely beaten for hanging an Israeli flag outside his window in the Swedish city of Malmo, police said.

Several unidentified men assaulted the 38-year-old man with metal bars after they hurled a stone at his window on July 6, the Svenska Dagbladet daily reported. The victim, who was taken to the hospital, was not identified by name.

After the stone hit the window, the man went downstairs and was assaulted, according to Malmo Police spokeswoman Linda Pleym. She said his injuries were serious but not life threatening,

“He was attacked because of the flag,” Pleym said.

Several hundred Jews live in Malmo, a city of approximately 300,000. Several dozen anti-Semitic attacks occur in Malmo annually, including repeated attacks on Jewish institutions, according to community leaders and police. — jta